Circumcision

The painting comes from the Veronese church of San Tommaso Apostolo (San Tomio), where it was placed on the altar, called "of the Circumcision", belonging to the Padovani family. The scene, which takes place in the temple of Jerusalem, describes the ceremony of the circumcision of Jesus according to the Jewish rite, with extraordinary wealth of details: on the altar table we recognize the ritual instruments that had to be kept in the precious casket carried by the young man behind the priest. The fidelity in representing the liturgy of circumcision can be explained by the proximity of the church of San Tomio to the ghetto of Verona. The symmetrical scene is defined in the background by imposing spiral columns of Veronesian inspiration that evoke the temple of Jerusalem. The figure of the priest is surrounded by a crowd among which some young people with unusual headdresses and a scribe intent on reading the sacred scriptures stand out. In this work of great formal elegance and sophisticated color ranges, culminating in yellow paired with pink, Ridolfi demonstrates his manner, particularly appreciated in the group of girls playing with doves.