Spanish Gothic school; c. 1500.

Spanish Gothic school; c. 1500.
"The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple".
Oil on pine board.
Measurements: 99 x 68 cm; 118 x 85 cm (frame).
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, whereupon Mary arose and began to dance for joy.
In this particular case the narrative is set in an interior, enclosed by pilasters in the background, dominated by a staircase that plays an important role in the story, and which serves to differentiate the two planes of the composition, and at the same time to order the figures and indicate to the viewer the divine position of the figures. The scene is configured as a frieze, although the author has established a diagonal reading rhythm, so that the viewer becomes another character in the scene, since he is introduced into it.