The Presentation in the temple

late 18th century-early 19th century · Oil painting · 98 × 118 cm

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Wo ist „The Presentation in the temple“ heute? Sammlung: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Derzeit nicht ausgestellt. Geprüft 25. September 2026.

Victoria and Albert Museum

London, Vereinigtes Königreich

Es gehört zur Sammlung, ist derzeit aber nicht ausgestellt.

Geprüft: vor 15 Tagen
Unverändert seit: 25. Sept. 2026
Quelle: Das Museum

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The Virgin kneels on the altar-steps of the temple and presents the Child to Simeon, the high priest. Behind him is the aged prophetess Anna and at far left a female attendent carries a small cage of doves for sacrifice, numerous other figures attend the scene carrying candles or lamps. This is a reduced copy after an organ shutter of ca. 1588 painted by Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) for the Church of San Sebastiano, Venice. Veronese was an Italian painter and draughtsman who, together with Titian and Tintoretto, was one of the greatest painters of the late Renaissance in Venice. He is known as a supreme colourist and for his illusionistic decorations in both fresco and oil. His large paintings of biblical feasts executed for the refectories of monasteries in Venice and Verona are especially celebrated. He also produced many altarpieces, history and mythological paintings and portraits. He headed a family workshop that remained active after his death.

From 1555 Veronese was employed by the Veronese prior Bernardo Torlioni (d 1572), rector of S Sebastiano, Venice, to paint the ceiling of the church’s sacristy and nave as well as its organ shutters and altarpiece. In 1558, Paolo designed the organ and painted its external shutters with the Presentation of Christ and the internal ones with a Pool of Bethesda (1560). The Presentation represents the bringing of the infant Jesus by Mary and Joseph to the Temple in Jerusalem to be 'consecrated to the Lord.' The Jewish rite of the 'purification' of the mother was celebrated simultaneously and involved the sacrifice of doves or pigeons and incorporated a procession of candles, both of which are portrayed by Veronese.

The painted and actual architecture of Paolo's organ in San Sebastiano are coordinated so that, whether the shutters are open or closed, painted architecture continues the organ’s exterior architecture in both perspective and vocabulary. The V&A's later copy omits Veronese's trompe l'oeil ceiling above the arch and unifies the composition which is spread over two doors in the original.

Victoria and Albert Museum