The iconographic setting of the episode, according to which the Virgin Mary at the age of three was presented to the temple, following the vow made by her mother, recalls the description contained in the Protovangel of James.
When the child turned three years old, Joachim said, “Call the spotless daughters of the Jews: let each one take a torch and keep it burning so that the child will not turn back.” Those did so until she was ascended into the temple of the Lord. The priest received her and, kissing her, blessed her.
In the canvas are, in fact, recognizable in the center the High Priest, with the ephod on his chest, and behind him figures holding up heavy candlesticks. Above, above a cloud, two cherubim seem about to rain roses, a recurring flower in paintings featuring the Virgin.
In some of the painter’s choices it is possible to read obvious references to Giovanni Francesco Romanelli’s Presentation of Mary in the Temple (1610?-1662), originally placed in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
