Cuyp sets the story of Christ’s circumcision inside the crumbling walls of the Temple of Jerusalem. He directs our view to the huddled figures in the centre where the Mohel, knife in hand, kneels in front of the infant Christ who is seated on the elderly Rabbi’s lap. Though not trained directly by Rembrandt, Cuyp imitated his early work closely in his grouping of figures and use of light.