Mattia Preti

Mattia Preti (1613 – 1699) was an Italian painter who travelled widely in Europe. It was through his mentor, Guercino, that the influence of the Venetian school, including Caravaggio, came. He painted religious scenes in churches in Rome, the Carthusian Chapel in Naples and also frescoes for the Cathedral at Valletta, Malta, where he lived for the last 40 years of his life. He was versatile, working in fresco, on canvas and altarpieces, and was particularly at ease with religious works exploring emotions and reactions to significant events.