The Maltese Genius of the Roman Baroque

The ninth of ten children to stone-carver Marco and Veronica, Melchiorre Cafà was born in Birgu. He was baptized on 21 January given the name of Marcello, in remembrance of a child born to the family in 1634 and who died as an infant.

In his recent studies about Cafà, Professor Keith Sciberras*, the arts historian and scholar, finds out that while in Malta, the family surname is known as ‘Gafà, in Rome, Melchiorre’s family name was almost corrupted to Cafà or Caffà. This is how the sculptor is known in the international art world; he signed his name as ‘Melchior Cafà Melitensis’ on the statue of St Rose of Lima (at S. Domingo, Lima, Peru).

Together with his younger brother Lorenzo, Gafà* received his early training from his father. His early artistic work in Malta is not documented, but at the age of 16 years, he was entrusted with the execution of figurative works at the Cappella Torres of the Syracuse duomo, while he was associated with Casanova family of sculptors situated at the harbour cities.

Through the influence of highly-placed personages of the Maltese Inquisition, Cafà left Malta to study in Rome in 1658, joining the school of Ercole Ferrata who specialized in relief-sculpture.

In Rome, Cafà came in close contact with the stylistic context of Alessandro Algardi, and his first works - the Virgin of the Rosary at the Dominican church, Rabat, and St Paul, at St Paul’s Shipwrecked church in Valletta - are stylistically very faithful to Algardi’s tradition.

Cafà’s first major work in Rome was the sculpted altarpiece of St Eustace in the Lion’s Den by Camillo Pamphili for the church of S. Agnese in Agone in Piazza Novana (1660). This was his first important commission. His second commission was The Charity of St Thomas for the church of S. Agostino, off Piazza Novana (1663).

Cafà won the respect of his fellow artists in Rome, who in 1662 elected him princeps of the Accademia di San Luca - an honour he modestly declined.

Cafà’s rise was meteoric and attracted the attention of other patrons. In 1662 he was commissioned the Glory of St Catherine of Siena for S. Caterina a Magnanapoli church, as well as another important work - the statue of St Rose of Lima - for St Domingo church at Lima, in Peru.

In 1665, while Cafà was working on about four major commissions, he was approached by the knights of Malta. In January 1666, Cafà returned briefly to Malta, where he received prestigious commissions, particularly by the council of the Order. These include the sculptural group of the Baptism of Christ for the conventual church of St John’s. This was to be worked in Rome. In Malta, Cafà produced various designs for different churches. He had travelled to Malta with the painter Michelangelo Marullo, his closest friend.

By mid-1667 Cafà was one of the busiest and most successful sculptors in Rome, but he died unexpectedly in Rome in September 1667 and was buried in the church of San Biagio della Pagnotta in Via Giulia, he left several unfinished works.

This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.