The Circumcision of Jesus

Paolo di Raffaello degli Organi XVI sec. d.C./ fine

The Circumcision or the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, signed by Paolo degli Organi in the lower left-hand corner, is an example of local painting influenced by a strong Nordic stamp, with allusions to artists from beyond the Alps.

Technical information

Author: Paolo di Raffaello degli Organi
Title: The Circumcision of Jesus
Date: XVI sec. d.C./ fine
Material and technique: Oil on panel
Size: 242x167 cm
Location: Palazzo Pretorio Museum
Second Floor

Information about Paolo di Raffaello degli Organi is scarce, except that he was descended from an important and well-known family of organ-makers from Prato, to whom the patronymic alludes. In the work on display, Nordic influences are clearly visible in the physiognomies of the old men and in the miniaturistic presentation of details, with a technique that had fallen into disuse among Florentine mannerist painters. The obsessive repetitiveness of the elongated figures and the structural elements of the architecture also echo the Nordic masters.
After the suppression of the monastery of Santa Caterina for which this painting had been commissioned, the Circumcision was moved to the rooms of the Hospital commissioner and became part of the Municipal Gallery from 1858.