Francesco Zahra was Malta's foremost native painter of the mid-18^th century and his style wonderfully captured the spirit of the Late Baroque period. He produced a wide range of works including many religious paintings, devotional works of art for altarpieces and church domes, designs for church furniture, silver artefacts, marble floor designs 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 commemorate the 250^th anniversary of his death, MaltaPost is issuing 3 stamps and a miniature sheet portraying four of his oil paintings. The €0.38 stamp shows a splendid painting of the Virgin Mary while the stamp denomination of €0.58 depicts the only known self-portrait by Zahra. The 3^rd stamp, carrying a denomination of €2.88, shows St. John the Evangelist and the miniature sheet, with a denomination of €3, contains a 4^th stamp, depicting the Martyrdom of St. George, a sizeable 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 Miniature 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 Miniature sheet.

These stamps will be available from all Post Offices in Malta and Gozo from Saturday 19^th August 2023. Orders may be placed online 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

Ħarġa Filatelika
Il-250 anniversarju mill-mewt tal-artist
Francesco Zahra 1710-1773

Francesco Zahra kien l-aqwa pittur Malti ta' nofs is-seklu 18 u l-istil tiegħu kien l-isbaħ rapreżentazzjoni tal-ispirtu tal-perjodu Barokk. Huwa pproduċa firxa wiesgħa ta' xogħlijiet fosthom ħafna pitturi reliġjużi, xogħlijiet tal-arti devozzjonali għall-artali u koppli tal-knejjes, disinni għall-għamara tal-knejjes, artefatti tal-fidda, disinji tal-art tal-irħam u oġġetti oħra tal-arti li għadhom jeżistu mxerrda f'diversi knejjes lokali kif ukoll kollezzjonijiet privati u mużewijiet. 

Francesco miet fid-19 ta' Awwissu 1773 fl-età ta' 62 sena. Biex tfakkar il-250 anniversarju mill-mewt tiegħu, il-MaltaPost qed toħroġ 3 bolli u folja minjatura li juru erba' pitturi taż-żejt ta' Zahra. Il-bolla ta' €0.38 turi pittura mill-isbaħ tal-Verġni Marija filwaqt li il-bolla ta' €0.58 turi l-uniku awtoritratt magħruf ta' Francesco Zahra. It-tielet bolla, li għandha denominazzjoni ta' €2.88, turi lil San Ġwann Evanġelista, filwaqt li il-folja minjatura, b'denominazzjoni ta' €3, fiha r-raba' bolla, li turi l-Martirju ta' San Ġorġ, pittura mdaqqsa li tinsab ġewwa l-Bażilika ta' San Ġorġ fir-Rabat, Għawdex. 

Il-bolli l-ġodda ser jinħarġu f'folji ta' għaxra. Kull bolla hija ta' daqs 31mm x 44mm, b'perforazzjoni ta' 13.9 x 14.0 u għandha "watermark" bis-salib ta' Malta. Kull folja hija ta' daqs 185mm x 118mm, filwaqt li il-folja minjatura tkejjel 120mm x 80mm. il-bolli kollha ġew stampati minn Printex Limited bi process offset. Il-ħarġa tikkonsisti f'500,000 bolla tat-€0.38, 50,000 bolla tat-€0.58, 30,000 bolla tal-€2.88 u 12,000 tal-folja minjatura.

Din il-ħarġa filatelika se tkun għal bejgħ mill-Fergħat Postali f' Malta u Għawdex mis- Sibt  19 ta' Awwissu, 2023. Ordnijiet jistgħu jsiru onlajn fuq www.maltaphilately.com/  jew bil-posta mill-Philatelic Bureau, MaltaPost p.l.c., 305, Triq Ħal Qormi, Marsa, MTP 1001 - telefon 2596 1740 - email info@maltaphilately.com

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