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The Circumcision

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Following Jewish tradition, Christ was circumcised when he was eight days old (Luke 2: 21). Seated on his mother’s lap, Christ reaches out to the mohel, the man who will perform the surgery, who holds a fine blade. The vibrantly coloured marble floor tiles are designed to attract the viewer’s attention, and the white borders lead their sight towards the central focus of the image, the infant Christ.

The subject was chosen by the patrons, the Confraternity of the Holy Name of Jesus, who were connected with the church of San Francesco, Volterra. The scene was an appropriate focus for their devotion, as it was when the infant Christ was named Jesus.

Christ as we see him now is the invention of a different artist, Sodoma, who was working in Volterra in the late 1530s; we don't know why he painted over Signorelli’s version.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

The Circumcision

Date

about 1490-1

Medium

Oil on canvas, mounted on board, transferred from wood

Measurements

H 258.5 x W 180 cm

Accession number

NG1128

Acquisition method

Bought, 1882

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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