Mattia Preti

Mattia Preti belonged to the Neapolitan school with a hint of Caravaggio (Taverna 1613-Malta 1699) and some of his paintings belong to his youth, whereas the others were sent by him to Taverna from Malta where he lived and worked for a long period of time during the later years of his life. Taverna, situated in the province of Catanzaro, is important because it has a large number of paintings in its custody. In San Domenico one can find, among other things the painting known as the "Cristo Fulminante" and that of Saint John the Baptist with a self-potrait of the painter in Knight of Malta attire on the right.