Valencian school of the first half of the 16th century

Valencian school of the first half of the 16th century.
"The presentation of the Virgin in the temple".
Oil on panel.
Presents faults and damage.
Measurements: 115 x 87,5 cm; 119 x 91 x 9,5 cm (frame).

In this canvas of Valencian authorship the author represents a scene of the life of the Virgin Mary, her presentation in the Temple as a child. The narrative is set in an urban setting, dominated by a staircase that plays an important role in the story, and serves to differentiate the two planes of the composition, and at the same time to order the figures. These, starting from the foreground, establish a diagonal reading rhythm. Among the characters that appear on the scene are Saint Anne, the Virgin and Zechariah. The scene is set outside the temple, meticulously described.

According to the promise made by her parents, Mary was taken to the Temple at the age of three, accompanied by a large number of Hebrew girls carrying lighted torches and amidst the singing of angels. To go up to the Temple there were fifteen steps, which Mary ran up alone, despite her young age, throwing herself into the arms of Zechariah, who was waiting for her in the courtyard in the company of other Elders. Zechariah blessed her, with words that alluded to her future divine maternity and, something unheard of, made the child enter the sancta sanctorum, where only the High Priest could enter once a year, on the day of the feast of the Atonement. He seated the child on the third step of the altar and God then descended his graces upon her, after which Mary got up and began to dance for joy.