Bringing back to light a 17th century oil-on-canvas by Silvestro Querio

The building of the new capital city on Mount Sciberras translated into a period of great economic prosperity for Malta’s inhabitants in the first half of the 17th century.

This economic prosperity percolated to every sector of the Maltese economy. Therefore, when Bishop Cagliares, during his last pastoral visit to the Qormi parish, remarked that most of the altars in the main apse were without a dedication, the parish priest immediately knew whom to turn to, to take up the care of the vacant altars and commission new altarpieces – the guilds.

The stonemasons and carpenters were the first to take up the offer – the former commissioned a painting representing St Thomas (by Filippino Dingli), while the latter commissioned an Italian artist to execute an altarpiece representing the Holy Family for their altar. The local farming community did not shy away from the challenge and immediately took over the altar on which Our Lady of Itria was venerated.

The building of new churches and palaces in the new capital and in the outlying villages generated enough commissions to entice a number of Italian painters to set up their bottega in Malta. Painters such as Bartolomeo Amodeo from...