ANGELICO, Fra
(b. ca. 1400, Vicchio nell Mugello, d. 1455, Roma)

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple

1433-34
Tempera on wood, 17 x 26 cm
Museo Diocesano, Cortona

In the predella below the Annunciation, near the two farthest edges, two scenes are painted (23 x 14 cm each). The first represent the Birth of the Virgin, the other The Virgin Consigns the Habit to St Dominic. There are five central scenes of the life of the Virgin, one after the other without interruption (23 x 183 cm), namely (from the left). Marriage of the Virgin, The Visitation, Adoration of the Magi, Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, Death of the Virgin.

This picture shows the scene of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. In this scene Joseph, the Virgin, the High Priest and St Anne stand in the foreground, a nave of receding columns extending backwards behind them. Exterior space is hinted at by the doorway to the left, the round window in the apse, the edge of the top light high above the nave and the strong light hitting the foreground from a source outside the picture space.




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