Gio Nicola Buhagiar ( mt, Ġannikol Buhagiar, 17 May 1698 – 21 March 1752) was a Maltese painter.

Biography

Buhagiar was born in Żebbuġ on 17 May 1698. He was the son of the stone carver Pasquale Buhagiar, while his mother was Leonora Buttigieg, originally from

Siġġiewi Siġġiewi ( mt, Is-Siġġiewi, ), also called by its title Città Ferdinand, is a city and a local council in the Southern Region of Malta. It is the third largest council in Malta by surface area, after Rabat and Mellieħa respectively. It ...

. The family eventually moved to Malta's capital

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 ...

. Buhagiar had a workshop where the fellow painter

Francesco Zahra Francesco Vincenzo Zahra ( mt, Franġisk Żahra, 15 December 1710 – 19 August 1773) was a Maltese painter who mainly painted religious works in the Neapolitan Baroque style. His works may be found in many churches around the Maltese Islands, a ...

probably began his training. Buhagiar and Zahra were close friends, and the latter's early work was heavily inspired from the former, such that their style was almost indistinguishable and that some works attributed to Zahra might actually be Buhagiar's. For example, ''The Holy Family with God the Father'' at the Tarxien parish church was formerly widely attributed to both artists but is now regarded as being Buhagiar's work. He married Anna Maria Cachia on 14 February 1719, and they had three children: Maria, Eleonora and Ferdinando, with the latter becoming a priest. Buhagiar died in Valletta on 21 March 1752 and was buried inside the

Carmelite Church , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

Works

Works attributed to Buhagiar can be found in a number of churches and chapels around the Maltese Islands. His paintings include ''Our Lady of Charity'' (1738) at the Żebbuġ parish church and ''Our Lady of the Rosary'' at the Żejtun parish church. Other works may be found in Saint John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, the parish churches of

Cospicua Cospicua ( mt, Bormla ), also known by its titles Città Cospicua or Civitas Cottonera, is a double-fortified harbour city in the South Eastern Region of Malta. Along with Birgu and Senglea, it is one of the Three Cities, located within the Gran ...

Għarb Għarb ( mt, L-Għarb) is an administrative unit of Malta, located at the westernmost point of the island of Gozo, with a population of 1,539 people (as of March 2014). History Għarb started as a small hamlet which developed around the middle ...

, Għaxaq, Mqabba,

Naxxar Naxxar ( mt, In-Naxxar) is a small city in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 14,891 people as of March 2014. The Naxxar Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Victories. The annual village feast is celebrated on 8 September. Naxx ...

Senglea Senglea ( mt, L-Isla ), also known by its title Città Invicta (or Civitas Invicta), is a fortified city in the South Eastern Region of Malta. It is one of the Three Cities in the Grand Harbour area, the other two being Cospicua and Vittorios ...

, Victoria and

Żabbar Żabbar ( mt, Ħaż-Żabbar, ), also known as Città Hompesch, is a city in the South Eastern Region of Malta. It is the sixth largest city in the country, with a population of 15,404 as of March 2014. Originally a part of Żejtun, Żabbar was gr ...

, in the

Inquisitor's Palace The Inquisitor's Palace ( mt, Il-Palazz tal-Inkwiżitur), also known as the Sacred Palace, is a palace in Birgu, Malta. It was the seat of the Maltese Inquisition from 1574 to 1798, under the name Palazzo del Sant'Officio ( scn, Sant'Ujfizzio ...

in Birgu, and in a number of other churches in Malta and Gozo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buhagiar, Gio Nicola 1698 births 1752 deaths 18th-century Maltese painters 18th-century male artists People from Żebbuġ Baroque painters Maltese artists