The context of Stefano Erardi’s paintings in the old Mosta parish church

Abstract

Chapter one aims to place Stefano Erardi’s oeuvre throughout Malta in relation to those works in the Mosta Parish church. His main influences deriving from Bolognese Classicists and his possible master Filippino Dingli were discussed, always in relation to Mosta. Erardi was placed in the artistic context in Malta, Preti as his major contemporary. This chapter tackles the Erardi family, starting from Erardi’s father, to his son Alessio Erardi. This was possible through Dominic Cutajar and Carmel G. Bonavia’s precise research of the family of Stefano Erardi.2 Chapter two tackles the increase in population within Mosta which led to the need for a new church. Mosta sought independence from Naxxar, becoming its own Parish 1610.3 Plans for a new church began. The possibility, or rather the unlikeliness of Tommaso Dingli being the architect of the old church was tackled through the use of notarial archives. This was challenging to completely discard tradition in order to formulate a logical argument. A structure of the church was established, with a basic placing of the altars and their paintings.. Besides the old church, the need for the Rotunda was tackled with the general population growth. The architect Giorgio Grognet de Vasse and his plans for the new church were researched lightly. The structure of the church and its chapels was established, and a reproduction of the structure was created. The placing of the paintings is considered in order to understand the change of context of Stefano Erardi’s works from the old church to the new. In Chapter three an overview of Stefano Erardi’s paintings in the Mosta Parish is created in the form of a catalogue. These were tackled in a qualative, historical and stylistic manner. Possible attributions, such as the Annunciation of the Virgin and the Assumption of the Virgin are dealt with in further detail in order to support the argument. Comparisons are throughout to support these. Through this Erardi can be seen as a copyist in certain figural and compositional types. The changes in the paintings during the transfer from one church to the other are discussed, as this hinders the aim of the Baroque artist. There were various motivating factors that helped in the process of research and writing of this dissertation. The contribution of research and information about the prominent local artist Stefano Erardi, moreover providing to the history of my hometown Mosta.