Filippo Benucci (1779-1848) was a disciple of George Wallis and Roman landscape painter who settled in Malta between 1810 and 1825. As well as being an artist Benucci was also a dealer of paintings, coins, jewels, terracotta and books. In 1824 he executed a series of 6 lithographs of Gibraltar which were published in 1825. This was followed by 12 drawn from nature of Malta which were published by P. Lacroix in Munich. It is from this series that this plate comes. It was entitled ‘Twelve of the most interesting and picturesque views in the islands of Malta and Gozo drawn from nature by Ph. Benucci and Ant. Schranz and executed on stone by Ph. Benucci, Munich 1826. This particular plate of Emtahlep is in fact drawn by J. Schranz. It is about the time of publication that Benucci moved to Munich, he died in Rome in 1848.