Presentation of Christ in the Temple

Lorenzo Costa, who succeeded Mantegna as court painter in Mantua, painted this Presentation of Christ in the Temple around 1502 for the Gemäldegalerie Berlin. Costa was trained in Ferrara under Ercole de' Roberti and later worked closely with Francesco Francia in Bologna, developing a gentle devotional style that bridged Ferrarese intensity and Bolognese refinement. The tempera medium required careful preparation on a gessoed panel and a disciplined layering technique that produced precise, durable surfaces suited to the intricate detail expected of devotional painting.

The composition arranges the figures in a balanced architectural setting with Costa's characteristic soft modeling and warm tonalities, reflecting both his Ferrarese training in spatial clarity and his Bolognese refinement of surface treatment.