2020Christmas - Set

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Our special stamps for Christmas 2020 depict a painting by Giuseppe Calì' of 'The Nativity'. The fresco was executed in the late 19th century on the ceiling of the dome of 'Christ the Saviour' Parish Church in Lija.

Born on the 14th August 1846 in Valletta to artistically gifted Neapolitan parents, Calì is considered one of the foremost Maltese painters of the 19th century. At the early age of seventeen, Giuseppe Calì proceeded to study at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Naples. Here he befriended the artist Domenico Morelli, an established exponent of Naturalism, and also learnt about Romanticism. Both influences are evident in the early phases of his artistic work, including the acclaimed 'Death of Dragut' executed in 1867 just after his return from the Accademia.

Calì was a prolific artist and founder of the modern school of Maltese painting. He left a legacy of over 600 compositions made up of an extensive variety of paintings, drawings, bozzetti, portraits and church vault decorations as well as some sculptures and lithographs.

Works of art that bear witness to both his versatility, mastery and artistic methods were the forms and style he adopted, which presented a sharp contrast to the neo-classical norm of the period. Calì married Perennia Pace from Senglea in 1871 and had ten children. He died in 1930.

The stamps bear face values of 30c , 59c and 63c respectively. They were set by Miguel Farrugia of MaltaPost from photographs by David dp Attard.