Malta’s national art museum, MUŻA, has just made an exciting addition to its collection – one with international ties and centuries of history behind it.

The museum has acquired a rare old master drawing by Paulus Pontius, based on a design by none other than legendary Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens. The newly acquired work is a preparatory study originally inspired by one of Rubens’ grand altarpieces, and later transformed into a popular engraving by Pontius – a renowned engraver who closely collaborated with Rubens in 17th-century Antwerp.

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This new acquisition is a fascinating piece of printmaking history. The drawing contains incised lines, indicating it was used as a direct design for copperplate engraving, a technique central to image reproduction before photography.

Belonging to a known series of preparatory drawings, this artwork makes part of a prestigious series held in major museums across the world, including the British Museum in London and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

What makes this even more significant is its role in. The drawing will also play a role in MUŻA’s educational initiatives, supporting a programme tied to the Getty’s project on design transfer in printmaking, providing valuable insight into how original compositions evolved from sketch to print – a process that defined visual culture in Europe for centuries.

MUŻA encourages the public to stay tuned for upcoming programming related to this exciting addition, especially for those interested in art history, Baroque art, and traditional printmaking techniques.

Are you a Baroque fan?