A natural haven! See Malta of the past through the eyes of this famous artist

Nostalgia creeps in at the sight of almost any painting by Maltese artist Edward Caruana Dingli (1876–1950). From luzzu boats with sails to peasant girls and faldetta-clad women, Caruana Dingli paints a colourful picture of old Malta and offers insight to what life in Malta was like in the past.

For example, here's a wonderful bright picture of peasant girls that highlights the raw beauty and strength of the Maltese woman. 

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But he wasn't partial - Caruana Dingli also painted pictures of some fine young men of the time. 

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Hang on, could that have been a self-portrait? What do you think?

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Edward Caruana Dingli's paintings offer snapshots of what life was like when Malta's streets were populated by ghonnella-clad women and men with hats and berets.

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Most of the islands' inhabitants were farmers.

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There were shepherds and there were, um, pigherds?

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The landscape certainly looked different. Do you recognise the iconic bridge at Wied il-Ghasel on the outskirts of Mosta?

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Modes of transport were also different to what we know today. We may recognise the luzzu boats but have you ever seen them with sails instead of engines?

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With bold splashes of colour, Edward Caruana Dingli depicted everyday life, from the simple public transportation system...

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...to the pomp of religious festas.

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However, the interior of this church received a much more sober treatment, with darker colours and the elaborate attention to detail you could expect of obvious talent.

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Yet, the artist will surprise you with his different styles. For example, here's a splash of water colour.

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No surprise that Edward Caruana Dingli's paintings featured on Maltese stamps issued on 18 April 2001. The 2c stamp shows a chicken hawker, the 4c stamp shows a village beau, the 6c stamp shows the Faldetta, the 10c stamp shows a guitar player and the 26c stamp shows a wayside orange seller.

Written by

Melanie Drury

Melanie was born and raised in Malta and has spent a large chunk of her life travelling solo around the world. Back on the island with a new outlook, she realised just how much wealth her little island home possesses.