Presentation to the Temple

A refined piece of Flemish painting in Calabria

The painting, which depicts the scene of the Presentation of Jesus to the Temple, clearly dates back to the late sixteenth century, but there is controversy in its attribution between two Flemish painters active in the viceroyalty of Naples, Pietro Torres and Teodoro d'Errico. The main historical sources from the city report the existence of another painting, perhaps arranged symmetrically to this one, depicting an Immaculate Conception. 

Apart from the paternity of the work, both artists are known for a tension between a style of Mannerism (or mature Renaissance) and a more purely devotional composition of the scene. Furthermore, the precision in the construction of the architectural backgrounds according to a clearly Flemish tradition stands out. 

It is not known who commissioned the painting, nor whether it was created for the church. If this were the case, we would have to consider Duke Ettore III Pignatelli among the possible promoters of the work, during the more comprehensive redesign of the space in front of the choir, for which he had had a sumptuous marble altar built.