There is no denying that Baroque and Malta are intimately connected. The 17^th and 18^th centuries in particular saw a flowering of Baroque art in Malta due no doubt to the munificence of the Knights (before the French revolution took away their commanderies in France and drastically cut down on the Order's revenue) but also to the influence of nearby Sicily, intent on reconstruction after the 1693 earthquake in its south-east.

This issue of the Journal of Baroque Studies includes, among other articles, two articles that focus on Maltese and Sicilian churches built in those two centuries.

Frederick Aquilina (who has recently written about composer Benigno Zerafa) writes on the music performance spaces in Maltese churches. The spaces were built according to the type of music that was played - in most cases an antiphonal type that necessitated two choirs for voices and instruments.

Thus, we have two choirs at the Mdina cathedral and also at St John's in Valletta but also in Zurrieq and Birkirkara, apart from other churches.

Lucia Trigilia from the University of Catania says that in the Baroque era, altars became scenic backdrops for particular devotions connected to that age - in particular the Quarantore (Kwaranturi) devotion in honour of the Sacrament.

The artist that best characterised this approach was Gian Lorenzo Bernini with his canopy for the main altar at St Peter's in Rome, especially with his twisted columns which were copied in many churches and in many countries such as Ecuador and Guatemala. Focusing mainly on churches in south-east Sicily, the author lists a number of churches in places like Noto, Catania and Palazzolo Acreide.

Well-known author and expert Stephen C. Spiteri focuses on Matteo Perez D'Aleccio's depictions of the Great Siege. These are in the fresco cycle in the main hall of the Grandmasters' Palace but there are also a series of engravings spread here and there in Europe which show some slight changes from the fresco cycle.

The author shows that the cycle (let's stay with the fresco cycle for a moment) is an artistic construct because many scenes show us what happened as seen from a bird's eye flying high over the battles. More than that D'Aleccio takes some liberties with the way he portrayed bastions and fortifications - he adds, he subtracts, he changes.

Daniel Unger contributes what may be the most interesting article in this volume. He focuses on Caravaggio's famous Boy bitten by a lizard. There are two known versions of this painting, one in the Roberto Longhi collection and the other at the London National Gallery.

It would seem that Caravaggio had just arrived in Rome when he painted this. He wanted this painting to introduce him to Rome. Joachim von Standrart in fact claimed, in 1675, that it was this painting which made the artist famous all over Rome.

What is remarkable about the painting is its realistic portrayal of pain - the young boy tries to get at some cherries but is bitten by a lizard which was hidden among the berries. The boy's panic-filled facial expression is impressive, just as, for instance is St Peter's gaze fixed on the nail which had just pierced his hand in The Martyrdom of St Peter. Caravaggio was one of the most adept painters of his day in his depiction of the physical reaction to pain.

There is also another element. The title was not given by the artist. We have always assumed the painting shows a boy because the title says so. But a closer look shows a face that would not seem amiss on a girl, also considering the garland of flowers and the too red lips. Then too, lizards generally flee from people, rather than bite them. And if a person is bitten, the instant reaction is to draw back the hand and look at the cause of pain rather than look at the viewer.

In the other articles, Bernard Micallef writes about Giovan Francesco Buonamico, chief doctor of the Order's fleet who gives us a rambling description of Malta including a rhyming poem recited by the Maltese to praise Grand Master de Rohan, Mejju gie bil-ward u z-zahar.

Carmen Depasquale describes a 17^th century Malta from a manuscript tourist guide that is found in the National Library. Francesco Frasca explains the evolution of maritime war tactics in the 16^th and 17^th centuries. Eleonora Rai writes about the Leuven Controversies between supporters and opponents of Pelagius and Lino Bianco writes about the defence of Baroque in the writings of Wolfflin, Frankl and Giedion.