Malaria by Maria Martinetti Stiavelli (1864-1937), a masterpiece restored thanks to Joanna Wright and Drew Tumbach & The Canada Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, will be “unveiled” at the Pontifical Palace of Castel Gandolfo on Friday, 27 September 2024, at 11:30 a.m.

The unveiling ceremony inaugurates the new exhibition season at the Museum of Castel Gandolfo. The painting will remain on display until 17 November 2024, with free access included in the Vatican Museums’ entrance ticket, and visitors can also explore the Garden of the Moor and the Secret Garden.

Malaria was painted by the Roman artist Maria Martinetti Stiavelli at the age of 23 in 1887. This large canvas, measuring 140.5 x 221.5 cm, was held in storage at the Vatican Museums and underwent restoration thanks to the Canadian Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums. The theme of the painting was popular among painters of the time, depicting a woman and a child affected by malaria, a disease that ravaged rural populations in the Agro Pontino region during that era. The work is also famous for being awarded a silver medal at the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle and was later presented at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893.

The exhibition will include a video and educational panels detailing the artist's life and the scientific research conducted by the Cabinet of Scientific Research Applied to Cultural Heritage. Two 19th-century peasant dresses from the Ciociaria region, on loan from the Museum of Civilization in Eur, Rome, will also be on display.