Maria de Dominici facts for kids

Suor Maria de Dominici (born December 6, 1645 – died March 18, 1703) was a talented Maltese artist. She was a painter and a sculptor. Maria was also a Carmelite tertiary nun, which means she lived a religious life but not strictly inside a convent. She came from a family of artists in the city of Birgu (also known as Vittoriosa). Her father was a goldsmith, and two of her brothers were painters. Her nephew, Bernardo de' Dominici, even wrote about her in his art history book!

Maria's Artistic Journey

During her teenage years, Maria de Dominici learned from a famous painter and sculptor named Mattia Preti. At that time, Preti was working on the inside of St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta. People believe Maria helped him with his most famous work there. This was a series of paintings showing the life of St John the Baptist (done between 1661 and 1666). These paintings decorate the ceilings of the co-Cathedral.

Maria was a very determined and skilled person. She knew what she wanted to do with her life from a young age. One writer, Giovannantonio Ciantar, said that Maria did not like doing typical "female duties." Instead, she loved to draw and create art. Her parents eventually saw how much she loved art and found a teacher for her.

Learning from a Master

Maria learned very quickly from Mattia Preti. Ciantar noted that Maria "worked well" under Preti's guidance. He even let her paint some of the female figures on the ceiling of St. John's Church. Ciantar said she did this "almost more felicitously than the master" himself!

Another writer, Giuseppe Maria de Piro, also agreed. He wrote that Maria "superseded any other of his pupils." This means she was better than all his other students. Preti chose her to help him paint the huge ceiling of St. John's Church, and she painted many of the female figures there.

Moving to Rome

In 1682, Maria de Dominici left Malta. She probably traveled with the nephew of the Grand Master and his wife. Her teacher, Mattia Preti, also encouraged her to go abroad and show her talents. She eventually opened her own art studio in Rome. There, she started getting requests for sculptures and paintings. This was thanks to letters of introduction from the Grand Master. In Rome, she lived with a woman friend near a church called San Giovanni dei Fiorentini.

Her Artworks

While she was in Malta, Maria de Dominici created many portable religious figures. These were used during local religious festivals and street processions. Many artworks are believed to be hers, but not all are easy to see today.

Where to See Her Art in Malta

Some of Maria de Dominici's most accessible works in Malta include:

• The Visitation: You can find this painting in the Żebbuġ parish church.
• Beato Franco: This is in the Carmelite church in Valletta.
• Annunciation: This painting is in the Cathedral Museum of Valletta.

Remembering Maria

Maria de Dominici's story is included in a two-volume book called the Dictionary of Women Artists. This book was put together by Delia Gaze.

In 2010, a crater on the planet Mercury was named after her! This happened because Delia Gaze's dictionary was used to find names for craters on Mercury.

Susanna Hoe, in her book Malta: Women, History, Books and Places, wrote about this. She said that the idea of a crater on Mercury named after a Maltese woman artist is "delightful, inspiring even." She added that seeing Maria's crater on the internet is "a lovely sight!"