Artwork
Circumcision of Christ
Circumcision of Christ is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Ludovico Mazzolino. It dates from 1525 and is held in the collection of the Uffizi Gallery.
About this work
Overview
Ludovico Mazzolino’s *Circumcision of Christ* is an oil painting executed in 1525. The work belongs to the later Renaissance period and shows the influence of the emerging Mannerist aesthetic. It is part of the Uffizi Gallery’s collection in Florence, where it is displayed among other works from the Ferrara school.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents the biblical episode of Christ’s circumcision, gathering a small group around a central female figure who cradles an infant. Mary, a young boy, and another woman are positioned nearby, while a kneeling man in red holds a ceremonial bowl. The arrangement emphasizes the ritual’s solemnity and the intimate human response to the event.
Technique & Style
Mazzolino employs a warm palette of reds, browns and earth tones, punctuated by a vivid blue garment that draws the eye. Light falls across the scene, modeling the faces and bodies with chiaroscuro that separates the figures from the surrounding space. The crowded interior is rendered with fluid brushwork, characteristic of the transitional Mannerist style.
History & Provenance
Created in the early sixteenth century while Mazzolino was active in Ferrara and Bologna, the painting entered the Uffizi’s holdings through acquisitions made during the museum’s expansion of its Renaissance collection. Its presence in the gallery reflects the institution’s focus on preserving works that illustrate the shift from High Renaissance clarity to the more expressive Mannerist approach.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ludovico Mazzolino (1480 – c. 1528) - also known as Mazzolini da Ferrara, Lodovico Ferraresa, and Il Ferrarese - was an Italian Renaissance painter active in Ferrara and Bologna.
