Mattia Preti

Mattia Preti painted big, dramatic religious scenes with the strong light and dark of Caravaggio and the grand scale of Roman and Venetian Baroque painting. His figures are powerful and theatrical, lit sharply against deep shadow.

Born in Taverna in Calabria, he worked in Rome and then in Naples, where he painted votive frescoes after the plague of 1656. In 1661 he moved to Malta, became a knight of the Order of Saint John, and spent the rest of his long life there. His painted vault of St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta is his largest work. The Marriage at Cana is in the National Gallery, London, and Pilate Washing His Hands is at the Metropolitan Museum.

Absalom’s Feast shows his flair for crowded, richly costumed drama.