The Circumcision

Luca Signorelli's Circumcision, painted around 1490 and now in the National Gallery, London, depicts the ritual circumcision of the infant Christ, which was celebrated as a feast day in the Christian calendar. Signorelli treats the ceremonial subject with the monumental figure style that distinguished his art from the gentler Umbrian tradition. His powerful, muscular figures and complex compositions prepared the way for the High Renaissance achievements of Michelangelo.

Signorelli's characteristically powerful figure drawing organizes the ceremonial scene with dynamic poses and strong modeling, creating a composition of monumental presence within the multi-figure narrative format.