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The subject of the Purification of the Temple is taken from the New Testament (Matthew 21: 12–13). Jesus drove the traders out of the Temple in Jerusalem, accusing them of turning a house of prayer into a den of thieves. Venusti painted numerous small-scale copies of drawings and frescoes by Michelangelo. No finished drawing by Michelangelo is known for this composition, but there are surviving small sketches of the figures. In Venusti’s painting, although the drama is centred on Jesus and the crowd of figures, the majority of the composition is devoted to the architecture, for which there is no known drawing. The pillars are modelled on famous antique examples in the Basilica of St Peter’s in Rome, which were believed to have come from the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem.
Title
The Purification of the Temple
Date
after 1550
Medium
Oil on wood
Measurements
H 61 x W 40 cm
Accession number
NG1194
Acquisition method
Bought, 1885
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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The Annunciation English Heritage, The Wellington Collection, Apsley House -
The Purification of the Temple The National Gallery, London -
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Crucifixion with Saint John and Saint Mary Magdalen Campion Hall, University of Oxford -
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist (Il Silenzio) National Trust, Ickworth -
Christ and the Woman of Samaria National Trust, Erddig