Lazzaro Pisani

Notable workCeiling of Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul, Nadur

Lazzaro Pisani (15 December 1854 – 31 August 1932) was a Maltese painter who was born in Żebbuġ. He is considered to be one of the most important Maltese artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.^[1]^[2]

Biography

Pisani studied in Rome at the Accademia di San Luca but returned to Malta in 1874 after contracting malaria.^[3] He received a financial award from the Malta Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.^[4] In 1885, Pisani was awarded a silver medal at the Colonial Exhibition in London for his work the Death of Abel. He won another silver medal at the Colonial Exhibition of 1924.^[3]

Pisani died at St. Paul's Bay. At the time of his death he was working on frescos in the churches of Siggiewi and Mġarr which he left unfinished.^[3]

The artist's daughter, Maria Rosa Lazzaro, bequeathed a collection of eleven of her father's paintings to Heritage Malta in 2008 which were exhibited between 15 January – 25 March 2008. The exhibition also included a catalogue published on the occasion which was written by the art historian Lino Borg.^[5]

Works

Death of Abel (oil on canvas, 1885), National Museum of Fine Arts, Malta, won Pisani a silver medal at the Colonial Exhibition in London in 1885.^[6]
Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul, Nadur ceiling, comprises more than 150 canvases attached to the vaulted ceiling.^[7]
The Beatitudes, Siġġiewi Parish Church dome, comprises eight marouflages - one of these detached from the church dome in 2013; conservation work started 1 May 2014.^[8]
The Last Supper, Corpus Christi Church, Għasri, Gozo, restored through sponsorship by the Bank of Valletta in 2007^[9]
The Madonna of the Rosary, Church of Jesus of Nazareth, Sliema
Portrait of Concetta Pisani, 1916
Self-portrait of the artist, 1916
Portrait of Mary Pisani
Our Lady of Sorrows, 1924
Portrait of Mrs. Gauci, 1907
Portrait of Roby Pisani
St. Dismas
Portrait of Lady Edeline Strickland
Portrait of Pietro Paolo Mompalao
The Letter
Portrait of Judge Sir Salvatore Naudi

References

^ Mallia-Milanes, Victor. p. 245
^ Mallia-Milanes, Victor. p. 265
^ ^a ^b ^c Pellegrini, V.M. p. 245
^ Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, vol. 115, no. 5126, 1967, pp. 124–125.
^ "Annual Report 2007/8", Heritage Malta, Retrieved on 21 February 2018.
^ Cini, George. "Lazzaro Pisani at Museum of Fine Arts", Times of Malta, 06 February 2008. Retrieved on 21 February 2018.
^ Gaul, Simon. p. 297
^ Grima, Agatha. "Agatha Grima leading the re-adhesion session of the marouflage painting by Lazzaro Pisani at the Dome of the Siggiewi Parish Church - Malta". Retrieved on 21 February 2018.
^ "Restoration Of painting by Lazzaro Pisani", Malta Independent, 26 August 2007. Retrieved on 21 February 2018.