Four-stamps set on works of art

A set of four stamps designed by Joseph Casha and a miniature sheet featuring works of art will be issued by the Philatelic Bureau of Maltapost plc on Wednesday.

The face values are 2c, 20c, 57c and 62c, with the miniature sheet costing 72c.

Malta's contribution in the field of art has been featured in a number of philatelic issues.

The current set underlines several of these achievements in five specific categories of artistic endeavour, spread over nearly five centuries, namely painting, music, sculpture, literature and architecture.

The 2c stamp illustrates various architectonic elevations of the 17th century parish church of St Mary in Attard, whose design was traditionally attributed to Tommaso Dingli. However, Vittorio Cassar is thought to be a more likely candidate. The 20c stamp is a composition of a view of the Mdina Cathedral organ and part of a musical score by Benigno Zerafa.

The 57c stamp shows the image of the marble and gilt statue of St Agatha, venerated in the Rabat church dedicated to the saint. Although it is traditionally attributed to the Sicilian sculptor Antonio Gagini, this is more a question of approximation, as Gagini had a school of numerous gifted artists and followers. The marble sculpture of the seated St Agatha is more likely to belong to this broad Gagini tradition.

The 62c stamp represents the first publication of an epic poem in Maltese, called Il-Gifen Tork, originally penned in 1842 by Gian Antonio Vassallo, who is considered as one of the great pioneers of Maltese literature. In 1854, Vassallo published the Storia di Malta.

The 72c stamp on the miniature sheet shows a reproduction of a mediaeval image of St Paul, from possibly the finest mediaeval painting in Malta.

This is the polyptych of St Paul, which initially was the titular painting in the ancient cathedral of Mdina. The work lost its central location when it was replaced by a Mattia Preti painting in the latter part of the 17th century.

This work is attributed to the circle of the Catalan painter Luis Borassa at a time when the Maltese islands belonged to the Crown of Sicily, then forming part of the Kingdom of Aragon.

This set will be available in First Day Cover format, cancelled, in mint format, as well as a presentation pack and as a souvenir folder. Additional details are available from the Philatelic Bureau of Maltapost tel. 2123 9153.

philately@maltapost.com