International Conference
Carlo Maratti (1625–1713) stands as one of the most significant painters of late Baroque Rome. Celebrated in his own time as the natural heir to Raphael and Carracci, and the leading painter of the Eternal City, Maratti’s extraordinarily long and successful career linked the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, shaping academic practice, taste, and artistic institutions well beyond his lifetime. His activity as painter, restorer, collector, ‘principe’ of the Academia di San Luca, and head of a large and international workshop placed him at the centre of Rome’s artistic and cultural networks.
Despite this prominence, Maratti’s reputation in art history has long oscillated between admiration and neglect. While traditional scholarship often portrayed him as the embodiment of academic classicism or as a symbol of stylistic decline after Bernini and Cortona, more recent research has begun to reassess the complexity of his artistic persona and his impact on the European art world. Yet, major questions remain regarding his patronage, his practices, his economic strategies, his workshop organisation, and his reception.
Marking the 400th anniversary of Maratti’s birth, this international conference aims to offer a critical historiographical reassessment of the artist and his legacy. Bringing together established scholars and emerging researchers from Italy and abroad, the event provides a platform to explore new perspectives on Maratti’s art, practice, and influence. Particular attention is given to the study of unpublished archival materials, new documentary discoveries, and analytical approaches that illuminate the mechanisms of patronage, artistic production, restoration, collecting, and his reception.
The conference is organized by Giovan Battista Fidanza and Guendalina Serafinelli (Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata) and Laura Overpelt (Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome). It is supported by the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome and the PhD Program of National Interest in Cultural Heritage at the Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata, with the patronage of the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana.
Confirmed speakers include: Arnold Witte (University of Amsterdam) – Keynote Lecture on 20 November, 17:00 hrs; Adriano Amendola (Università degli Studi di Salerno) & Cristiano Giometti (Università degli Studi di Firenze); Alessandro Agresti (Independent Scholar); Olga Arenga (PhD student Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata); Sara Carbone (PhD Student Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata); Paolo Coen (Università degli Studi di Teramo); Laura Facchin (Università degli Studi dell’Insubria); Giovan Battista Fidanza (Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata); Laura Overpelt (Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome); Simona Rinaldi (Università degli Studi della Tuscia); Isabella Salvagni (Independent Scholar); Guendalina Serafinelli (Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata); Andrea Spiriti (Università degli Studi dell’Insubria); Donatella Livia Sparti (Syracuse University), Charlotte van ter Toolen (PhD student University of Groningen).
The complete programme will be published shortly.
The Keynote lecture by dr. Arnold Witte will be streamed on Zoom. Click here for more information and to register.
In person participation is free of charge, but places are limited. Acceptance will be on a first come, first served basis.
RSVP by sending an email to info@knir.it. Please specify which part(s) of the conference you plan to attend, if not the entire programme.
