Workshop of Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Siegen 1577 - 1640 Antwerp
Christ and the woman taken in adultery
Oil on panel
panel: 40¼ by 54¼ in.; 102.2 by 137.8 cm.
Private collection
Lot Sold for 107,100 USD in Jan 2023
This particular subject proved popular among Flemish artists even in generations prior. In his famed grisaille at the Courtauld Gallery, for example, Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1529-1569) captures a full-length Christ kneeling as he writes the aforementioned admonition to the Pharisees in the sand (below). In contrast, here Rubens, using a vivid palette, depicts the figures half-length, a visual device that helps emphasize the scene's emotional dynamism. In Rubens' composition, Christ’s retort to the Pharisees is recorded in a Hebrew inscription on the head covering of the man at right. More on this painting
Pieter Bruegel the elder (c.1525–1569)
Christ and the Woman taken in Adultery, c. 1565
Oil on panel
H 24.1 x W 34.4 cm
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Grisaille or painting in shades of grey was traditionally used to decorate the outside of the folding panels of altarpieces. Bruegel has used it here in an display of skill, to be treasured by a private collector.
Watched by his disciples, Christ writes on the ground that he who is free of sin should cast the first stone at an adulterous woman. This biblical story challenged hypocrisy as well as demonstrating the virtue of mercy.
More on this painting
Jesus and the woman taken in adultery – is a famous passage found in the Gospel of John, that has been the subject of much scholarly discussion.
Jesus has sat down in the temple to teach some of the people. A group of scribes and Pharisees confront Jesus, interrupting his teaching session. They bring in a woman, accusing her of committing adultery, claiming she was caught in the very act. They ask Jesus whether the punishment for someone like her should be stoning, as proscribed by Mosaic Law. Jesus first ignores the interruption, and writes on the ground as though he does not hear them. But when the woman's accusers continue their challenge, he states that the one who is without sin is the one who should cast the first stone. The accusers and congregants depart, leaving Jesus alone with the woman. Jesus asks the woman if anyone has condemned her. She answers that no one has condemned her. Jesus says that he, too, does not condemn her, and tells her to go and sin no more. More on Jesus and the woman taken in adultery
Sir Peter Paul Rubens (28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish Baroque painter. A proponent of an extravagant Baroque style that emphasized movement, colour, and sensuality, Rubens is well known for his Counter-Reformation altarpieces, portraits, landscapes, and history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects.
In addition to running a large studio in Antwerp that produced paintings popular with nobility and art collectors throughout Europe, Rubens was a classically educated humanist scholar and diplomat who was knighted by both Philip IV of Spain and Charles I of England. More Sir Peter Paul Rubens
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