Wood 260x165 cm + frame 7 cm, Inv. n. 159

This work depicts the presentation of Jesus at the Temple. The scene is set inside a noble and classic architecture of ample dimensions.
The altar piece can be divided into two overlapping zones: above the sacred scene is set amidst a large crowd; below elements of the painting in general, including a young girl with a small dog by her side who is offering a basket of doves and, to the far left, a beggar.
Below and to the right are the two commissioners.
The painting is dated 1585, according to documents that cite some payments.
Nicolò Paganelli is an artist from Faenza; few of his works have survived. In this work in question, in the centre, we can find his initials.
Paganelli collaborated with Vasari in 1560 in the decoration of the Hall of Leo X in Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, together with Marco Marchetti, another artist from Faenza.
He later moved to Rome. Thanks to this experience, he began working in the style of international Mannerism, using a fresh and florid colour combined with a natural tendency towards quotidian events, paying great attention to details.