Gregorio Preti, 'Christ disputing with the Doctors', 1660s

At the age of twelve Jesus went with his parents to Jerusalem for the Passover. On their return they found he was not with them, and after searching they discovered him in the Temple involved in a learned debate with the Jewish scribes (Luke 2: 41-51). In this dramatic depiction of the story, the young Christ is shown at the centre of a group of older men, clearly engaged in an intense discussion. He appears to be counting off points on his fingers, as a bearded elder leans attentively to listen to him. On the right a balding man holds open a book, and seems to be trying to attract the boy’s attention; other groups of scholars cluster behind. In the background the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph have returned to look for their missing son.

This painting has in the past been variously attributed to the Spaniard Francisco Herrera (1627–83), an imitator of Preti, and Juan Rizi (1600–81). It is now acknowledged as a fine example of Gregorio Preti’s mature style. Gregorio’s reputation has long been eclipsed by that of his younger brother Mattia, one of the foremost painters of the seventeenth century, to whom many of Gregorio’s paintings – this one included – were formerly attributed.

By the 1650s Gregorio was making the transition to a High Baroque style. This composition is characteristic of his works of that decade: the number of figures is reduced, each one becoming more important, and the narrative is articulated by gesturing hands.