 According to a hypothesis first elaborated by Goffen and later by Camesasca, this is a variant of the Byzantine symbology, which originally pertained to the representation of Christ.In this representation, the half-figure would be a metaphor to suggest “the whole aspect” of the divine, as if this reduction would be better fitting it to the human comprehension.It seems that Bellini was seeking, especially in the MASP work, the most heightened sacredness for the sacred.