Giulio Romano’s painting, while relatively small, is a typical example of the excess attributed to the generation following the High Renaissance ‘Great Masters’ (Giulio was Raphael’s most talented assistant). The classical ‘infrastructure’ is still there, competently mastered, but its economy is subtly—and sometimes blatantly—undermined. The image seems vaguely symmetrical but is, in fact, quite unbalanced; the architecture is similar in principle to classical examples, while including destabilizing elements, the most prominent of which are the twisted columns, soft and wavy where such elements should have been hard, rigid, and static (Tafuri 1989). A characteristic Renaissance interest in the ‘socialisation’ of biblical scenes—the insertion of almost any episode in a broader social context—is also here brought to an extreme.

Indeed, the composition is exceedingly crowded. The community into which circumcision and naming mark entry seems well represented. However, the event remains symbolic rather than concrete: most people present at what is depicted as the Temple (although the New Testament does not specify this is the location for Jesus’s circumcision) don’t pay attention to the momentous occasion. Giulio drowns the circumcision in an ocean of faces (mostly repetitive), graceful movements, and ornamental elements, so that the viewer must navigate a complex space in order to decipher the image. The empty space in the foreground adds a theatrical aspect without alleviating the impression of frenetic saturation.

Another aspect one could easily attribute to Giulio’s ‘Mannerist’ style is the representation of Jesus himself, replete with naturalistic details but also oddly artificial. Instead of a human newborn, we see a young child standing: sculptural, somewhat solemn, and seemingly fully conscious of the ceremony’s meaning.

This is somewhat counter-productive theologically: the representation of the circumcision, and the visibility of Christ’s genitals more generally, were important precisely for the demonstration of the baby’s fully human nature. Not surprisingly, painters of Giulio’s generation were often accused of ignoring doctrinal truth in the interest of showing off their artistic virtuosity and originality.

References

Tafuri, Manfredo. 1989. ‘Giulio Romano: linguaggio, mentalità, commitenti’, in Giulio Romano (Milan: Electa)