Christ and the Adulteress
Artist / maker
Anonieme meester (painters (artists))Date
1540Period
16th centuryCollection
Museum of Fine Arts Ghent
The theme of Christ and the Woman taken in Adultery is taken from the Gospel of John (8: 1-11). While Jesus was teaching in the Temple, the scribes and the Pharisees brought him a woman caught in the act of adultery. According to the law of Moses, she was to be stoned. When they cunningly asked him what he thought…
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The theme of Christ and the Woman taken in Adultery is taken from the Gospel of John (8: 1-11). While Jesus was teaching in the Temple, the scribes and the Pharisees brought him a woman caught in the act of adultery. According to the law of Moses, she was to be stoned. When they cunningly asked him what he thought of this, Jesus answered, “Whoever is without sin among you, let him be the first to cast a stone at her”, after which the accusers slunk away one by one. The story is set within a Renaissance-style temple overlooking the city of Jerusalem. The woman stands shyly near the exit, a basket of stones at her side. While Jesus crouches on the floor to write his answer in the dust, the accusers take flight. A striking detail is the dog at the bottom right who, as a symbol of marital fidelity, also leaves the scene, but turns to look back. This mannerist panel, which is dated, but whose author is unknown, is situated within the circle of Pieter Coecke van Aelst.
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