Italian school from the second half of the seventeenth century."Presentation of the Virgin to the Tempo".Oil on cradled panel.18th century frame.Measurements: 164 x 95 cm; 170.5 x 102.5 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 narrative is set in an urban setting, dominated by a staircase that plays an important role in the story, and 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 right 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 located on the outside of the temple, meticulously described, as befits baroque painting. It is worth noting that it was during the Baroque period when the representations of the Virgin became more popular and iconographically relevant because the Protestants did not believe in the figure of the Virgin.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.