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Presentation of Jesus in the Temple

Subject
Late Gothic retable depicting scenes from the lives of Mary and Jesus
Author, school, workshop
Stwosz
Contributor
-
Style
Late Gothic
Date
1477-1489
Type
Altarpiece in the form of a pentaptych
Material and technique
Wood/carving, gilding, polychrome
Size
2,5 × 2,3 m
Signatures and inscriptions
-
Identity number
-
Department
-
Links/analogies
-
Owner
Saint Mary's Basilica in Krakow
Copyright
Saint Mary's Basilica in Krakow
Location
Saint Mary's altar (by Wit Stwosz) in the presbytery
Description
One of the apostles Late Gothic retable depicting scenes from the lives of Mary and Jesus Wit Stwosz (ca. 1448-1533) Late Gothic Altarpiece in the form of a pentaptych Wood/sculpture, gilding, polychrome St Mary's Basilica in Cracow St Mary's altar (by Wit Stwosz) in the presbytery 2,5 × 2,3 m The scene of the Presentation in the temple refers to Jesus' childhood, but also evokes thoughts of the Passion. The old man Simeon, taking the Messiah into his arms, foretells the future suffering of the terrified Mary. These prophetic words are one of the foundations of the belief that the Mother of God co-suffered with Christ (Latin: Compassio Mariae). This sorrow, in turn, proves that Mary was the Co-Saviour (Latin: Coredemptrix) of the world. The Kraków retable is a captivating apologia of the Mother of God; we must keep this in mind when viewing the individual compositions.