This year marks the 250th anniversary of the death of artist Francesco Zahra – 1710-1773.

Zahra was Malta’s foremost native painter of the mid-18th century and his style wonderfully captured the spirit of the Late Baroque period.

He produced a wide range of works including many religious paintings, devotional works of art for altarpieces and church domes, designs for church furniture, silver artefacts, marble floor designs and other objets d’art that still survive scattered in various local churches as well as private collections and museums.

Francesco died on the 19th of August 1773 at the age of 62. To commemorate the 250th anniversary of his death, MaltaPost is issuing 3 stamps and a miniature sheet portraying four of his oil paintings.

The €0.38 stamp shows a splendid painting of the Virgin Mary while the stamp denomination of €0.58 depicts the only known self-portrait by Zahra.

The 3rd stamp, carrying a denomination of €2.88, shows St. John the Evangelist and the miniature sheet, with a denomination of €3, contains a 4th stamp, depicting the Martyrdom of St. George, a sizeable painting found at St. George’s Basilica in Victoria, Gozo.

The stamps will be issued in a sheet of 10, with each stamp measuring 31mm x 44mm, with a comb perforation of 13.9 x 14.0 and bearing the Maltese Cross watermark.

The sheets measure 185mm x 118mm while the Miniature sheet measures 120mm x 80mm, all produced by Printex Limited, in the offset process.

The issue consists of 500,000 of the €0.38 stamp, 50,000 of the €0.58 stamp, 30,000 of the €2.88 stamp and 12,000 of the Miniature sheet.

These stamps will be available from all Post Offices in Malta and Gozo from Saturday, the 19th of August.

Orders may be placed online at www.maltaphilately.com or by mail from the Philatelic Bureau, MaltaPost p.l.c., 305, Qormi Road, Marsa, MTP 1001; by telephone on 2596 1740, or via e-mail info@maltaphilately.com

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