22/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/40631/fullCrucifixion and Annunciationearly 14th CenturyAnonymousFAS/P/8025042034641Crucifxion with Annunciation, c.13th cent, Siculo Byzantine school, fresco/internal/media/dispatcher/40633/fullAbstractc. 1957Emvin CremonaFAS/P/23435042023703Abstract 'Composizione' 1957, by E.V. Cremona, oil on canvas/internal/media/dispatcher/40632/fullPortrait of an unknown lady1542Jan van ScorelFAS/P/1645042044642Portrait of a Lady, circle of Jan van Scorel