And when the days of [Mary’s] purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. Luke 2:22-24

Our painting tells the story of what takes place following Christ’s birth: his presentation at the Temple in accordance with Mosaic Law. Luke writes that the Holy Spirit called a certain Simeon (perhaps a Jewish priest) to the Temple, for the Spirit had told Simeon that “he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:26). In our painting we see Simeon, about to receive Christ, lifting his hands up to Heaven in praise. Mary is holding Christ, with Joseph nearby, and another woman holding a cage with the doves as sacrificial offering.

The Old Testament (Leviticus 12:8) describes the sacrifice required of a mother upon presenting a newborn at the Temple: “And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons.” The doves in our painting are very much in the Renaissance artistic tradition, and were seen as a symbol of Christ’s poverty, contrasted here with the finery of the priests’ robes and the interior of the temple.

The candles on the table represent the spreading of Christ’s divinity to the world, for Simeon praises him as “a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (Luke 2:32).

Provenance: Private Collection, Rhein Region, Germany