A recently restored Mattia Preti painting from the Franciscan church in Valletta has been given pride of place at a prestigious exhibition at the Accademia Nazionale di San Luca in Rome to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Calabrian artist’s birth.

The exhibition, which has been organised by the Accademia itself, is sponsored by the Maltese Embassy in Rome, the Italian Foreign Ministry and the Calabria region.

The painting, entitled “St Luke paints the Madonna with Child”, is based on the tradition that considers St Luke as the patron saint of artists. The work also includes iconic references to the saint and the New Testament, from the bull – St Luke’s symbol – to the angel handing him the pen and ink, in a reference to his Gospel.

The painting was specifically produced by Preti for the altar dedicated to St Luke in the Franciscan church in Republic Street in 1671, when the Confraternita dei Pittori, Scultori ed Indoratori (the Confraternity of Painters, Sculptors and Gilders) was created in emulation of the Roman Accademia di San Luca.

It is one of the very few paintings to have been signed and dated by Preti himself: in the bottom right-hand corner is the artist’s coat of arms as a Knight of Malta together with the words: F(ra') M(atthia) P(reti) F(ecit) – 1671.

In the background, along with St Carlo Borromeo, is the statue of the nymph Igea, daughter of Aesculapius, personifying health – to remind viewers that, before becoming a follower of Christ, Luke had been a doctor.

The painting is somewhat darker than other works by Preti because, over the years, successive restorations have affected its surface. The last restoration was carried out by Sante Guido and Giuseppe Mantella, who have carried out a great many such restorations in Malta over the years.

The painting will remain at the Salone d’Onore of the Rome Accademia until 14 February, after which it will be exhibited at the Archbishop’s Palace in Crotone and later at the Diocesan Museum in Reggio Calabria, before being brought back to Malta.

The event has been organised in collaboration with Fondazione Montecristo, the Malta Tourism Authority, GasanMamo Insurance Ltd and Island Insurance Brokers Ltd.