Mattia Preti is considered as one of the leading artists of the High Baroque period. He came to Malta attracted by the patronage of the Order of the Knights of St John. His contribution to their conventual church is unequalled. His influence on the artistic milieu of the island during the seventeenth century was immense and several churches are adorned by his paintings.
The book is a thematic study of works of art by Mattia Preti and brings together various paintings of St Catherine produced by the artist. Within the Christian Church, St Catherine has been the subject of popular devotion for at least six centuries as she ranks as one of the fourteen most invoked saints in heaven.
The canvases presented in this book are some of Preti's most outstanding works and they make a very interesting study of his diverse palette and compositional studies. For the first time these works have been brought together where they can be studied, compared and analysed. This monographic study is designed to offer, besides a general recognition of the artist's stature, an attempt to stimulate the artistic research and interpretation of thematic studies of the artist's works. The book is a result of the collaboration of the St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation and Sante Guido Restauri.