To commemorate the eighth centenary of the death of St Dominic, Gozitan artist Manuel Farrugia was commissioned by the Dominicans of Vittoriosa, Malta, to produce an altarpiece depicting The Glory of St Dominic for the altar of St Dominic in the Church of the Annunciation.
The result is a thematically rich painting that incorporates various elements that relate it to the history of this ancient Dominican foundation and the jubilee being commemorated by the order this year.
The new The Glory of St Dominic altarpiece by Gozitan artist Manuel Farrugia. Photo: Mark Micallef Perconte
In the centre, shrouded in rays of bright white rays, is the radiant figure of St Dominic gloriously being carried into heaven. The angelic face of St Dominic is modelled on the vero volto, a scientific 3D reconstruction of St Dominic’s countenance, kept in the Basilica di San Domenico in Bologna.