Discover world of colour through the eyes of a Portuguese knight in 18th century Malta

Have you ever found yourself wondering about the nature of colour – how colour actually ever came to be, and what makes up each different colour?

If your answer is in the affirmative, you share this curiosity with a Portuguese knight named

Fra’ Diogo de Carvalho e Sampaio, who was inspired to study such questions while based in Malta in the late 18th century, and whose published treatise you can now see for yourself in an exclusive Heritage Malta master class.

“This treatise is nothing else than a clear exposition of my ideas about colours, according to the order they appear to me.” This is how Fra’ Diogo opens his treatise ‘Tratado das Cores’, printed in Malta in 1787.

This was one of the few scientific works printed in Malta in the 18th century. Fra’ Diogo arrived in Malta in 1785 and started studying colour out of pure curiosity. Later he wrote more books about colour while in Spain, which did not pass unnoticed among European theorists.

Join Cláudia Garradas at MUŻA’s Conference Hall on 29 September from 6.30pm to 7.30pm and get a closer look at this printed work, which includes exceptional woodcuts handcoloured by the author himself. Following the presentation, attendees will also be able to get a more in-depth explanation of the work by Ms Garradas, as she flips through the historic document in a live demonstration, given in small groups of six. Admission to this event is free of charge, however reservation is required either online on www.heritagemalta.org or at any Heritage Malta museums or site.