Presentation of Christ in the Temple
France, ca. 1320-1360
Stone relief carving
640 x 580 x 200 mm.

This mid-fourteenth century stone panel was likely once part of a narrative cycle that decorated a French church facade or choir screen. It is possible to interpret its subject as a highly unusual rendering of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple (see Luke 2: 22-38). The principal figures represented here (reading from left to right) are the prophetess Anna, shown holding the Christ Child, the High Priest, Mary, Joseph, and Simeon. The small figure at the far left whose head has been lost is, perhaps, a maidservant. It is Mary's eloquent gesture of offering that suggests this work represents Christ's presentation in the Temple. Although Anna is sometimes included in Presentation images, it is quite rare to find her - rather than
Simeon -- receiving the Child.