Guariento di Arpo
Coronation of the Virgin Altarpiece: Detail, The Presentation of Mary in the Temple
Padua, 1344
Tempera and gold leaf on panel
Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California
In some images of this episode the priest at the top of the stairs wears garments associated with a Jewish High Priest, but in this and some other examples he is garbed more like a Christian bishop. The altar within the Temple is also christianized, with an altarcloth and a baldaquin above.
As usual, Mary is pictured as if older than three, the age at which the Protevangelium says she entered Temple service. This is the only panel in the altarpiece in which Mary does not wear the bright blue mantle that makes her stand out from the other figures.
View this image in full resolution.
Go to the page describing the altarpiece as a whole.
Read more about images of Mary's presentation in the Temple.
Photographed at the site by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.