The Marchese Hall, takes its name of one of the main donors who bequeathed huge collections to the museum. Count Saverio Marchese donated a large collection which was set to be the original collection which started off the museum. The donation was made to the Cathedral museum in the late 19th century, at the time when the museum was found within the cathedral itself.
The donated collection included a large selection of paintings, old master drawings and engravings. This newly refurbished hall hosts some of the most important panel paintings in Malta dating from the 15th century. The chronological set up leads the visitor to paintings from the 16th century