The Presentation in the Temple
Alvaro Pirez
probably ca. 1430 · Tempera and gold on wood · European Paintings
In conformity with the Jewish rite of purification, forty days after giving birth Mary took Jesus to the Temple; the old prophetess Anna (holding a scroll) recognizes him as the redeemer of Israel. The panel is from the base (predella) of a complex altarpiece that was painted for a church in Pisa, perhaps about 1405–15. Its quality is superior to most of the paintings by Alvaro Pirez, a Portuguese painter active in Tuscany. Clearly, the artist knew the work of the leading painters in Florence, including Lorenzo Monaco, to whom the picture was once ascribed.
- Artist
- Alvaro Pirez
- Date
- probably ca. 1430
- Medium
- Tempera and gold on wood
- Department
- European Paintings
- Credit line
- The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982
