The Presentation at the Temple is a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna. Dating to c. 1455, it is housed in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Germany.[1]
| Presentation at the Temple | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Andrea Mantegna |
| Year | c. 1455 |
| Medium | Tempera on canvas |
| Dimensions | 68.9 cm × 86.3 cm (27.1 in × 34.0 in) |
| Location | Gemäldegalerie, Berlin |
History
editThe date of the painting is unknown, but it belongs to the painter’s youth in Padua. The possible range of dates for the work spans from 1453 (when Mantegna married Nicolosia Bellini, daughter of the painter Jacopo Bellini and sister of painters Giovanni Bellini and Gentile Bellini) to 1460 (when Mantegna left for Mantua). Giovanni Bellini’s Presentation at the Temple, explicitly inspired by Mantegna's, dates to around the latter year.
Description
editThe scene is set within a marble frame. The cushion on which the Child lies stands on it and partially juts out.
The Virgin Mary, in the foreground, is holding the Child while a bearded priest is near her. At the center, in penumbra, is Joseph with an aureola. Also in the background, at the sides, two spectators without aureola have been identified as possibly Mantegna's self-portrait and a portrait of his wife.
References
edit- ^ "Die Darbringung Christi im Tempel". Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Berlin State Museums) (in German). Retrieved 2024-05-02.
Further reading
edit- La Grande Storia dell'Arte - Il Quattrocento, Il Sole 24 Ore, 2005
- Kleiner, Frank S. Gardner's Art Through the Ages, 13th Edition, 2008
- Manca, Joseph. Andrea Mantegna and the Italian Renaissance, 2006