The Presentation of Christ in the Temple

Widely travelled, Scorel succeeded Raphael as keeper of the papal collection at the Vatican, a position he held from 1521– 1524. This explains his familiarity with the latest contemporary architecture. The conspicuously Mannerist features include the eccentric composition, the emphasis on figures clad in the style of classical antiquity and seen from the back, the “lost profiles”, and the statuesque, slow movement of the figures, which appear to be set in motion mechanically like a clockwork.