Sharing the Medici Archive with the World.

MAP FORUM PRESENTS: Tuesday, 24 February 2026 @ 5pm EST/11pm CET

In his talk, Prof. Arnold Witte will consider how Giovanni Bellini’s half-length Madonnas and Child have been interpreted in recent historiography. One hypothesis is that the Dutch fourteenth-century religious movement of the Devotio Moderna explains the meditative function of these works, that as a result have been framed as Andachtsbilder. He will critically consider this approach and its emphasis on ‘private devotional practices.’ By placing Bellini’s paintings in a broader context, he will formulate an alternative interpretation of these images. Arnold Witte is an associate professor at the University of Amsterdam. He studies both early modern art in Italy and art after 1945, with a particular focus on the institutional aspects of patronage.