Caravaggio and the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta
- March 11, 2015
- Caravaggio
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Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio arrived in Malta on July 12, 1607 after being forced to flee Naples for once again causing trouble. It is believed he might have traveled to Malta with the Knights of Malta’s galley squadron which were commanded by Fabrizio Sforza Colonna, the son of the Marquis of Caravaggio. Malta was the headquarters for the Knights of Malta, Order of St. John, and according to Caravaggio’s early biographers the artist immediately began painting portraits of the highest ranking Knights including Alof de Wignacourt, the Grand Master. Caravaggio’s Portrait of Alof de Wignacourt and his Page portrays the Grand Master in his shiny formal black and gold Milanese …..