Italian school; XVIII century. "The Presentation... Lot 103

Italian school; XVIII century. "The Presentation of the Virgin". Oil on canvas. Measurements: 34 x 25 cm; 53 x 42 cm (frame). In this canvas the author represents a scene from the life of the Virgin Mary, her presentation in the Temple as a child. The narration is located in an urban scene, dominated by a staircase that plays an important role in the story, and that 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. The line starts from the head of St. Joachim in the lower left corner, goes up diagonally, passing by St. Anne, and guides our gaze to the Virgin, vividly illuminated, to finally reach the figure of Zachary, located at the top of the staircase. The canvas presents a scenographic composition, clearly counter-reformist. The scene is set in the interior of the temple, meticulously described, as befits baroque painting. It should be noted that it was during the Baroque period when the representations of the Virgin became more important and iconographically relevant because the Protestants did not believe in the figure of the Virgin.