53/internal/media/dispatcher/6539/fullDraped male figure seen from behind1481-1482Pietro PeruginoFAS/D/5489087149This is a study after a figure of an apostle seen on the right in the fresco 'La Consegna delle Chiavi' or 'Delivery of the Keys' by Pietro Perugino in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Rome, dated 1481-2. It is possibly a training exercise executed by one of Perugino's pupils copying from the master's fresco./internal/media/dispatcher/6606/fullStudy of a Young Man Standing1494Vittore CarpaccioFAS/D/4489569820A preparatory study for the figure dressed in red in the centre-left of Carpaccio's opening panel 'Arrival of the Ambassadors' from the Life of St Ursula Cycle, now in the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice./internal/media/dispatcher/13758/fullSt Catherine of Alexandria disputing with the Fifty Philosophersc. 1580-1630Giovanni BalducciFAS/D/2354898761194The scene depicted shows St Catherine of Alexandria, in the centre, a highly intelligent and devout Christian woman, disputing with fifty pagan philosophers, featured behind her, at the request of Emperor Maxentius, who is the second figure on the left, seated on a throne. The emperor hoped to convince her to renounce her faith, but Catherine's eloquent arguments and conversion of the philosophers instead led to her own martyrdom. /internal/media/dispatcher/20290/fullA knight of the Order of St John and three other male figures1755-1761Antoine FavrayFAS/D/144898771222Studies showing four full-length male figures. The figure on top right wearing the tabbard of the Order of St John is a study for a painting by Antoine Favray showing the interior of St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, which is at the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg./internal/media/dispatcher/20293/fullA veiled lady seen in profile facing left (R) / Drapery studies (V)1744-1798Antoine FavrayFAS/D/24898781225(R) A half-figure of a lady in profile looking towards the left. / (V) Drapery studies of two sleeves./internal/media/dispatcher/20301/fullA kneeling woman (R.) / A male figure (V.)1755-1761Antoine FavrayFAS/D/2024898791228(R.) A study of a woman kneeling facing left in profile view with her hands resting on a stool. She wears a mantle and a veil. This is a preparatory figure study for a painting by Antoine Favray showing the interior of St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, which is at the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. (V.) A study of a half length male figure wearing a coat./internal/media/dispatcher/13959/fullVirgin and Child with Young St John the Baptist1650-1695Andrea AndreaniFAS/D/7714898801246This drawing is a 17th-century copy after a chiaroscuro woodcut by Andrea Andreani after Alessandro Casolani which was made in 1591. It appears to be a training exercise as it is almost a traced copy of the woodcut with black pen lines matching the line block, but freehand brown washes that reproduce the effect of the two tone blocks, and chalk to mimic the blank paper used by Casolani to create highlights. It may have been made as a study in creating tonal effects using ink washes and white chalk, by copying the light-dark (chiaroscuro) effects in the print. /internal/media/dispatcher/14051/fullMale nude seen from the back1763Ubaldo GandolfiFAS/D/8104898811285An academic study of a male nude seen from the back, with the figure's left knee and hand on a boulder and the right hand leaning on a stick. Drawn from a live model by Bolognese artist Ubaldo Gandolfi in oiled chalk and white chalk heightening. Gandolfi masterfully used the varying thickness of the oiled black chalk outline, the black chalk shading, and the white chalk to accurately depict how the bright light coming from the left falls on the figure. /internal/media/dispatcher/28230/fullA kneeling male figure seen from the rearJacopo da EmpoliFAS/D/294898821304This is a preparatory figure drawing for a bigger composition. Depicting a young man on one knee in traditional florentine clothing as seen from the back lifting his right arm. /internal/media/dispatcher/27736/fullAllegorical figure of Piety (Pietas) (R); Veiled female figure and draped figure holding a book (V)1650-1700Lorenzo PasinelliFAS/D/344898831310This drawing of a standing crowned female figure, attributed to Lorenzo Pasinelli, may represent an Allegorical Personification of Piety (Pietas), sometimes identified by a flaming altar as seen on the left of the figure. On the verso are two drawings on either side of the folding line; a female figure wearing a veil, and a study of the drapery of a figure holding a book./internal/media/dispatcher/13857/fullA draped kneeling male figure in profile facing right with additional studies of drapery and a hand holding an urnlate 16th-early 17th CenturyCristoforo RoncalliFAS/D/314898841312The drawing shows a kneeling male figure in profile, facing right, with right arm raised. Two separate studies on the recto show details of the hand offering a vessel at top left, and a drapery study at the bottom. It is a preparatory figure study for an unknown painting, possibly an Adoration of the Magi. Roncalli used this drawing to study the fall of light on the drapery folds of the figure, while the face is rendered masterfully through a few light strokes, without details and minimal shading./internal/media/dispatcher/13805/fullCrowning with thorns1570-1590Bartolomeo PassarottiFAS/D/254898851322This drawing by the mannerist Bolognese artist Bartolomeo Passarotti depicts Christ being crowned with thorns and mocked. The composition is structured around six figures which fill up the drawing space, without any details suggesting the setting, making this scene reminiscent of a theatrical stage, specifically the Passion plays performed as part of religious processions during Holy Week. Christ is seated in the centre flanked by two figures, one on either side, affixing the crown of thorns on his head. To the right a kneeling figure mocks Christ, whilst to the far left two standing figures in oriental garments discuss the event. The composition is rendered quite energetically with quick pen strokes defining the bold gestural action of the figures, their bodies and faces bordering on the grottesque and denoting the influence of Northern mannerism./internal/media/dispatcher/28228/fullTempio di Vesta detto della Sibilla in Tivoli1810-1825Filippo Maria GiuntotardiFAS/D/21044900551932This drawing by Giuntotardi of the Temple of Vesta, known as della Sibilla, in Tivoli seems to be in preparation for the etching published in 1825 by him and Antonio Testa as a series of prints after Giuntotardi’s drawings of Tivoli and its nearby locations. The etching, although larger in size, reproduces the lines and shading in this drawing faithfully, while other versions of this drawing show variations in the depiction of clouds and foliage, as well as the number of figures./internal/media/dispatcher/34681/fullMadonna and Child1500-1550Sandro BotticelliFAS/P/1415040573655Madonna and Child/Mater Admirabilis, Style of Botticelli/internal/media/dispatcher/38678/fullJudith beheading Holofernes1624Valentin de BoulogneFAS/P/1865040583656Judith decapitating Holofernes, Valentin de Boulogne/internal/media/dispatcher/34668/fullThe Risen Christ embracing the Crossc. 1619Guido ReniFAS/P/1885040593657Risen Christ holding the Cross, Guido Reni/internal/media/dispatcher/34684/fullThe Martyrdom of St Catherine of AlexandriaLate 1650s - early 1660sMattia PretiFAS/P/2195040603661Martyrdom of St Catherine, Mattia Preti/internal/media/dispatcher/34689/fullChrist and the Samaritan woman1660sStefano ErardiFAS/P/3165040613663Christ and the Samaritan Woman by Stefano Erardi/internal/media/dispatcher/34674/fullDisegno del Porto di MaltaEarly October 1565Giovanni Francesco CamocioFAS/MAPS/415040623665Produced in Venice by Giovanni Francesco Camocio, this is one of four maps that represents the final phases of the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. This map, the third state, represents the arrival in September 1565 of the Gran Soccorso which consisted of the Catholic Armada. This was the turning point leading to the surrender of the Ottoman Turks to the Order of St John. These maps quickly spread the news of the goings-on of the Siege. They were derived from illustrated war reports sent from Malta. The first, third and fourth states of the Great Siege map series form part of MUŻA’s Cartographic Collection, while the second state belongs to the Map Collection of the Faculty of Science at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. These two institutions collaborated to successfully include these four maps in UNESCO’s International Memory of the World Register, an honour achieved in 2017./internal/media/dispatcher/47084/fullAllegory of the Good Government of the City of Antwerp1625-1669Theodoor Van ThuldenFAS/P/1895040633668The largest canvas at MUŻA is this ‘Allegory of the Good Government of the City of Antwerp’ by the Flemish Baroque painter, Theodoor van Thulden. The attributes of mythological figures are ascribed in praise to the city of Antwerp. Fame sounds her trumpet while the Gorgon lies defeated at the feet of Chronos who personifies time. Demetre, goddess of agriculture and fertility, holding a Cornucopia of fruit and crops, is accompanied by Mercury, god of commerce. Amaltheia, with another Horn of Plenty overflowing with gold and riches, lifts the veil to reveal a personification of Antwerp in all her beauty and splendour. A river god, representing the waters of Antwerp’s large and busy harbour, observes the putti playing. A beautiful and noble peacock sits high on the rocks on the right. This painting is from Van Thulden’s middle period showing the impact of Peter Paul Rubens with whom he collaborated. It is possibly a commission from his time in Antwerp./internal/media/dispatcher/34669/fullHercules1500sAnonymousFAS/S/1145040643672This marble statue shows a nude bearded Hercules in contrapposto pose, holding the club with which he stunned the invincible Nimean lion. It could not be killed with the weapons of mere mortals because its fur was impervious to attack. Hercules strangled the lion with his bare hands and is shown here proudly holding its pelt. This is one of the surviving items from the first known public collection in Malta, which was that of the Order of St John's Vice Chancellor, Gian Francesco Abela (1582-1655). He owned a large collection of various items in his villa, also known as 'Il Museo di San Giacomo', on Corradino Heights. The statue, known as the 'Ercole Maltese', was once considered to be a genuine antique due to the classical pose and accurate anatomy of the figure. It has recently been dated to the Renaissance as a copy after the antique./internal/media/dispatcher/38675/fullThe Charity of St Thomas of Villanova1663Melchiorre CafàFAS/S/405040653674The Maltese sculptor Melchiorre Cafà was admired as a brilliant virtuoso of the Roman Baroque. His talents even attracted the attention of the great sculptor and architect, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. He died in Rome at the young age of 31, leaving behind a number of unfinished commissions. This work is a model for the ‘Charity of St Thomas of Villanova’ in the Pamphili family chapel in the Church of S. Agostino in Rome. The bozzetto was executed with great confidence and boldness, particularly as Cafà pushes the figures of Charity and the children outside the niche that frames the central figure of St Thomas of Villanova. The elongation of the figures and the fleeting movement in the drapery show unprecedented originality in the sculptor’s style and technique. He died before finishing the marble sculpture which was completed by Ercole Ferrata in whose bottega Cafà worked./internal/media/dispatcher/34688/fullThe Visit1750sAntoine FavrayFAS/P/2485040663676Maltese lady visiting her lady friend, Antoine Favray/internal/media/dispatcher/34696/fullSelf-portrait1821Giuseppe HyzlerFAS/P/3365040673684Self portrait by Giuseppe Hyzler/internal/media/dispatcher/34673/fullView of the Grand Harbour1830J. M. W. Turner001-015040683686On permanent loan from HSBC, this view of the Grand Harbour captured from Fort Ricasoli is by J. M. W. Turner, the most important British Romantic artist of the 19th century. As Turner never stepped foot on Malta, his only source for this particular scene could have only been drawings by artists who had visited the island. Yet speculation on whose work he ultimately relied on prevails. This view steers away from strict topographical conventions to one imbued with Turner’s characteristic poetic eloquence. In true Romantic spirit, the emphasis on capturing constantly changing light and weather conditions is revealed by the restless brushwork and the preference for an overall sketchiness rather than a meticulous approach to detail. The tall masts and inflated sails of the ships, and the stronger colours of the passage and fishing boats in the bustling Grand Harbour become the main protagonists against the Valletta promontory backdrop. Insignificant in size but not in importance, the two fishermen in the immediate foreground act as the visual stepping stone for the spectator’s interaction with this view./internal/media/dispatcher/34697/fullVeiled Oriental woman with parasol1880Amadeo PreziosiFAS/P/12025040693688“Veiled Oriented lady with parasol (signed & dated 1880)”, Amadeo Preziosi (1816-1882), watercolours on brownish paper./internal/media/dispatcher/34677/fullSquare PianoLate 18th centuryChristopher GanerFAS/F/655040703693The main highlight of the Drawing Room display of the 19th-century galleries is the one and only musical instrument in the MUŻA collection. Known as a square piano, it is considered to be a transitional piece during the experimentation phase before the classical upright piano reached its fully-fledged stage in its development. Neo-classical in style, this instrument would have primarily been constructed by a furniture or cabinet maker, with its musical component consisting of a keyboard and a simple yet complex system of stretched horizontal strings, a sound board and a series of tiny tightly-knit hammers for its playability. As the sound that emerges from this square piano is low and soft, it was typically used only in domestic settings. Such a square piano as this one would have provided light entertainment for the family and during private party functions./internal/media/dispatcher/34707/fullThe Death of Dragut1867Giuseppe CalìFAS/P/10585040713695Death of Dragut (1867), Giuseppe Cali (1846-1930), oils on canvas/internal/media/dispatcher/34703/fullMarì tal-bajd1964Esprit BarthetFAS/P/22675040723697"Marie Tal-Bajd"(1964),Esprit Barthet,Oil on canvas/internal/media/dispatcher/34695/fullAve Maria Triptych1940-45Anton InglottFAS/P/6715040733700Triptych 'Ave Maria', by Anton Inglott, oil on canvas/internal/media/dispatcher/34670/fullSpeed1937Antonio SciortinoFAS/S/3175040743705‘Speed’ is one of Antonio Sciortino’s equine sculptures but it aims to express an abstract concept, that of speed. The horses seem to blend into one another as they race forward and are reduced to little more than horizontal lines. The stylisation of the sculpture betrays an Art Deco influence, but the concept and the use of lines to depict movement look towards Futurism. The lines are the gushes of displaced air caused by the forward projectile movement of the horses. Only the horses’ heads with flaring nostrils and their front legs remind us that this is a figurative work. Sciortino felt strongly about this piece, describing it as a strong power passing through which no obstacle can stop, leaving behind a force leading in the opposite direction./internal/media/dispatcher/38672/fullWhat is the Object over There? Points of Contact No. 171973Victor PasmoreFAS/P/23475040753707What is the Object of there? Point of Contact No. 17', Victor Pasmore, screenprint and mixed media (see also 42603-4)/internal/media/dispatcher/40633/fullAbstractc. 1957Emvin CremonaFAS/P/23435042023703Abstract 'Composizione' 1957, by E.V. Cremona, oil on canvas/internal/media/dispatcher/40631/fullCrucifixion and Annunciationearly 14th CenturyAnonymousFAS/P/8025042034641Crucifxion with Annunciation, c.13th cent, Siculo Byzantine school, fresco/internal/media/dispatcher/40632/fullPortrait of an unknown lady1542Jan van ScorelFAS/P/1645042044642Portrait of a Lady, circle of Jan van Scorel/internal/media/dispatcher/41460/fullTea service for Alexandre de La Motte-Baracé1786-1789Compagnie des IndesFAS/C/2255052764705This is a Chinese porcelain tea set dated to 1786 -89, crafted for the European market. It was used by the Order of St. John in Malta between 1786 and 1789. The set features finely hand-painted armorial decorations, blending Chinese craftsmanship with European heraldic imagery, exemplifying the cross-cultural exchange in decorative arts during the late 18th century./internal/media/dispatcher/41248/fullTea pot from tea service for Alexandre de La Motte-Baracé1786-1789Compagnie des IndesFAS/C/225.15054684718This is a Chinese porcelain tea set dated to 1786 -89, crafted for the European market. It was used by the Order of St. John in Malta between 1786 and 1789. The set features finely hand-painted armorial decorations, blending Chinese craftsmanship with European heraldic imagery, exemplifying the cross-cultural exchange in decorative arts during the late 18th century./internal/media/dispatcher/41254/fullCoffee pot from tea service for Alexandre de La Motte-Baracé1786-1789Compagnie des IndesFAS/C/225.25054694719This is a Chinese porcelain tea set dated to 1786 -89, crafted for the European market. It was used by the Order of St. John in Malta between 1786 and 1789. The set features finely hand-painted armorial decorations, blending Chinese craftsmanship with European heraldic imagery, exemplifying the cross-cultural exchange in decorative arts during the late 18th century./internal/media/dispatcher/41261/fullBowl from tea service for Alexandre de La Motte-Baracé1786-1789Compagnie des IndesFAS/C/225.35054704720This is a Chinese porcelain tea set dated to 1786 -89, crafted for the European market. It was used by the Order of St. John in Malta between 1786 and 1789. The set features finely hand-painted armorial decorations, blending Chinese craftsmanship with European heraldic imagery, exemplifying the cross-cultural exchange in decorative arts during the late 18th century./internal/media/dispatcher/41266/fullLarge biscuit bowl from tea service for Alexandre de La Motte-Baracé1786-1789Compagnie des IndesFAS/C/225.45054714721This is a Chinese porcelain tea set dated to 1786 -89, crafted for the European market. It was used by the Order of St. John in Malta between 1786 and 1789. The set features finely hand-painted armorial decorations, blending Chinese craftsmanship with European heraldic imagery, exemplifying the cross-cultural exchange in decorative arts during the late 18th century./internal/media/dispatcher/41268/fullVery large sugar bowl from tea service for Alexandre de La Motte-Baracé1786-1789Compagnie des IndesFAS/C/225.55054724722This is a Chinese porcelain tea set dated to 1786 -89, crafted for the European market. It was used by the Order of St. John in Malta between 1786 and 1789. The set features finely hand-painted armorial decorations, blending Chinese craftsmanship with European heraldic imagery, exemplifying the cross-cultural exchange in decorative arts during the late 18th century./internal/media/dispatcher/41272/fullCup from tea service for Alexandre de La Motte-Baracé1786-1789Compagnie des IndesFAS/C/225.65054734723This is a Chinese porcelain tea set dated to 1786 -89, crafted for the European market. It was used by the Order of St. John in Malta between 1786 and 1789. The set features finely hand-painted armorial decorations, blending Chinese craftsmanship with European heraldic imagery, exemplifying the cross-cultural exchange in decorative arts during the late 18th century./internal/media/dispatcher/41277/fullCup from tea service for Alexandre de La Motte-Baracé1786-1789Compagnie des IndesFAS/C/225.75054744724This is a Chinese porcelain tea set dated to 1786 -89, crafted for the European market. It was used by the Order of St. John in Malta between 1786 and 1789. The set features finely hand-painted armorial decorations, blending Chinese craftsmanship with European heraldic imagery, exemplifying the cross-cultural exchange in decorative arts during the late 18th century./internal/media/dispatcher/41284/fullSaucer from tea service for Alexandre de La Motte-Baracé1786-1789Compagnie des IndesFAS/C/225.85054754725This is a Chinese porcelain tea set dated to 1786 -89, crafted for the European market. It was used by the Order of St. John in Malta between 1786 and 1789. The set features finely hand-painted armorial decorations, blending Chinese craftsmanship with European heraldic imagery, exemplifying the cross-cultural exchange in decorative arts during the late 18th century./internal/media/dispatcher/41286/fullSaucer from tea service for Alexandre de La Motte-Baracé1786-1789Compagnie des IndesFAS/C/225.95054764726This is a Chinese porcelain tea set dated to 1786 -89, crafted for the European market. It was used by the Order of St. John in Malta between 1786 and 1789. The set features finely hand-painted armorial decorations, blending Chinese craftsmanship with European heraldic imagery, exemplifying the cross-cultural exchange in decorative arts during the late 18th century./internal/media/dispatcher/6644/fullJuno with the peacockLuca CambiasoFAS/D/40505824825The drawing depicts the Roman goddess Juno reclined on clouds. The peacock to the left represents the moment when, jealous of the nightingale, the peacock protested to Juno as it did not have a beautiful voice, to which Juno replied that the nightingale may have a beautiful voice, but the peacock had beauty and size. This episode was widely popularised in Aesop’s Fables./internal/media/dispatcher/41847/fullRocky landscape with three seated figuresJean-Antoine ConstantinFAS/D/2435058251252In this landscape, three seated figures, possibly friars, are resting along a path next to a high rocky wall surrounded by forest. In the distance, a fourth figure is crossing a suspended pathway bridging a waterfall. /internal/media/dispatcher/14003/fullLandscape with wooden dwellingsAdriaen van de VeldeFAS/D/7925058261272A landscape framed by a tree on the left, with wooden dwellings and shrubbery. /internal/media/dispatcher/6641/fullA monk offering alms in a church (R.) / Various sketches (V.)Giovanni BalducciFAS/D/27505904824(R.) A monk offering alms in a church in front of an altar. / (V.) Various studies which include: a banquet scene with figures around a table, a scene with four figures around a font, an arm holding an ewer, and two hands holding goblets./internal/media/dispatcher/20267/fullStudy for the Knight of Malta Fra Alerano Parpaglia (R.) / St John the Baptist Beheaded (V.)1661-1666Mattia PretiFAS/D/95059051199(R.) Study for a portrait of the knight Fra Alerano Parpaglia on the ceiling of St John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta. The Knight wears a tabard of the Order. (V.) The beheaded corpse of St John the Baptist, still holding the cross-staff lies on the ground. This work is a study of the painting entitled 'Saint John the Baptist Beheaded' at the Archbishop's Palace in Seville, Spain. /internal/media/dispatcher/6634/fullThe Shipwreck1752-1753Adrien ManglardFAS/D/245505910823Seascape depicting a shipwreck, with survivors struggling to reach the shore. Ruins of an arch frame the composition on the left, balanced by a tower on the right. This drawing was probably made by Adrien Manglard as a 'ricordo' of one of his paintings. He would have made other versions of this drawing in preparation for an etching he published in 1753-4. This drawing was not used directly for transfer and there are additional figures and details in the drawing that do not appear in the final print. /internal/media/dispatcher/20353/fullStudy of a young man's faceAnonymousFAS/D/7915059111283Counterproof of a study of a young male head with eyes looking upwards in red chalk. Possibly by a French artist, late 18th century. /internal/media/dispatcher/20389/fullStudy of a reclining male nudeAndrea SacchiFAS/D/165059121319Red chalk academic drawing of a reclined male nude. It is possibly the work of a student in Rome during the second half of the 17th century, working in a baroque classicist tradition.