Mattia Preti’s painting ‘Boethius and Philosophy,’ is back home in Malta. The Ministry for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, said that this addition to Malta’s National Collection was made possible thanks to the Government’s acquisition of the major masterpiece last February.
It explained that the acquisition of the monumental oil on canvas for the sum of €1,323,000 during Sotheby’s Old Masters Auction in New York, was financed by the National Development and Social Fund.
This brings the masterpiece’s journey to a full circle. The painting, like the artist himself, has strong links with the country, having been commissioned by the knight Fra Andrea di Giovanni in the 17th century, and having taken pride of place on the walls of the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta for decades.
The Ministry explained that while the masterpiece will be displayed for the first time at MUZA, Malta’s National Community Art Museum, from the 17th to the 31st of July, once the extensive restoration works at the Grand Master’s Palace are completed, it will finally find its way back home, where it was originally displayed.
‘Boethius and Philosophy’ is now officially under Heritage Malta’s wing, for the benefit of present and future generations, the Ministry said.