an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Palermo. Probably the most distinguished Sicilian painter of the 17th century. Also known as il Monrealese or Pietro "Malta" Novelli to distinguish him from his father, Pietro Antonio Novelli. He was also nicknamed by contemporaries as the Raphael of Sicily. He was injured during the revolution in Palermo in 1647, and died from his wounds.
