17th century art pieces restored by AX Group

AX Group sponsored the restoration of two 17thcentury paintings portraying the very first owners of Casa Rosselli Massa in Merchants Street, Valletta. The property has been converted by the Group into a fivestar hotel carrying the name of its original owners, Rosselli.

Pietro Rosselli was a well-known merchant and a goldsmith of good standing. Together with his wife they were prominent philanthropists and it is said that they sponsored the building and decoration of Saint Helen’s Oratory of the Goldsmiths and the embellishment of the confraternity’s chapel in St Paul’s Shipwreck church in Valletta.

The couple also endowed damask wall coverings, silver lamps and oil paintings by Mattia Preti to the chapel of San Pietro ad Vinculis in the Jesuits’ church in Merchants Street. The fact that the couple were able to commission Mattia Preti, a court painter to the Grand Masters, confirms the wealth and standing of the family.

Rosselli was a selfless gentleman, but proud of his association to the Order of St John. In fact, in the restored portraits, Rosselli is seen wearing the mezza croce (half-cross) showcasing him as a Donat of the Order of St John, a distinction awarded to few, and rarely to Maltese.

“We wanted to show our appreciation to the history of the building at 167 Merchant Street that was known as Casa Rosselli Massa and their owners. We decided on restoring the only two existing portraits of the couple that belonged to the Confraternity of Our Lady of Charity and were hung in the Confraternity Oratory in St Paul’s Church,” Angelo Xuereb, AX Group’s chairman commented.

Photos credit: PrevArti