Mattia Preti was the Baroque painter and Caravaggio follower known as Il Cavaliere Calabrese. The nickname means “the Calabrian Knight,” linking his birthplace in Calabria with the knighthood he later received from the Order of Saint John.
Preti was born in Taverna in 1613 and probably joined his painter brother Gregorio in Rome before 1630. There he encountered Caravaggio’s dramatic naturalism and intense contrasts of light and shadow, while also studying artists such as Guercino, Rubens, Guido Reni, and Giovanni Lanfranco. His style later became broader and more monumental than straightforward Caravaggism.
Preti was knighted in connection with the Order of Saint John around 1660 and spent the latter part of his career in Malta. He painted major frescoes and altarpieces, including work for St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta. Giovanni Battista Caracciolo was an important Caravaggist, but the Calabrian nickname belongs specifically to Preti.