The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple (detail)

Instead of the traditional Jewish priest officiating at the event, Fra Carnevale places three figures at the high altar, apparently a Franciscan, a Dominican and a hooded figure - while two pilgrims are seen against the right-hand entrance pier. The remaining figures in the church are exclusively young males who chat, rest, or walk about.

This panel - together with another representing the Birth of the Virgin, now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York - formed part of a highly original altarpiece commissioned in 1467 for the Church of Santa Maria della Bella at Urbino. In both works, the mature artist reveals himself to be a learned scholar well-versed in the vocabulary of architecture.