maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 AUGUST 2023
5
CULTURE
This article is supported by Arts Council Malta
Philatelic issue of Francesco Zahra
on 250th anniversary of his death
FRANCESCO Zahra was Mal-
ta's foremost native painter of the
mid-18th century and his style
wonderfully captured the spirit
of the Late Baroque period. He
produced a wide range of works
including many religious paint-
ings, devotional works of art for
altarpieces and church domes,
designs for church furniture,
silver artefacts, marble floor de-
signs and other objets d'art that
still survive scattered in various
local churches as well as private
collections and museums.
Francesco died on 19 August
1773 at the age of 62. To com-
memorate the 250th anniversary
of his death, MaltaPost is issuing
3 stamps and a miniature sheet
portraying four of his oil paint-
ings.
The €0.38 stamp shows a splen-
did painting of the Virgin Mary
while the stamp denomination
of €0.58 depicts the only known
self-portrait by Zahra. The 3rd
stamp, carrying a denomination
of €2.88, shows St. John the Evan-
gelist and the miniature sheet,
with a denomination of €3, con-
tains a 4th stamp, depicting the
Martyrdom of St. George, a sizea-
ble painting found at St. George's
Basilica in Victoria, Gozo.
The stamps will be issued in
a sheet of 10, with each stamp
measuring 31mm x 44mm, with
a comb perforation of 13.9 x 14.0
and bearing the Maltese Cross
watermark. The sheets measure
185mm x 118mm while the Min-
iature sheet measures 120mm x
80mm, all produced by Printex
Limited, in the offset process.
The issue consists of 500,000 of
the €0.38 stamp, 50,000 of the
€0.58 stamp, 30,000 of the €2.88
stamp and 12,000 of the Minia-
ture sheet.
These stamps will be available
from all Post Offices in Malta and
Gozo from Saturday 19th August
2023. Orders may be placed on-
line at www.maltaphilately.com
or by mail from the Philatelic
Bureau, MaltaPost p.l.c., 305,
Qormi Road, Marsa, MTP 1001;
by telephone on 2596 1740, or via
e-mail info@maltaphilately.com
