Our painting tells the story, from the Gospel of John (8:1-11), of Christ’s defence of a woman caught in Adultery, who was brought to him by the Scribes and Pharisees. It is here that Christ utters his memorable challenge to her accusers, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

As in the Gospel account, the artist shows Christ writing those words with his finger on the ground for the gathered crowd to see. The woman looks down at Christ, her defender, with tears running down her cheeks.

Our painting is one of many versions executed according to an en grisaille model painted by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, now in the Courtauld Gallery, London. We consider our painting to be by one of the Master’s close followers, who has brought the subject to new life with use of bold colours.

In a significant departure from the original, our artist has had Christ write in Latin (rather than Flemish). He has also used Latin text to highlight the hypocrisy of the woman’s accusers, and the truth behind Christ’s challenge to them. On three of the Pharisees’ robes appear fragments of text from the Vulgate, Saint Jerome’s Latin translation of the Old Testament. We can make out three of the ten commandments. On the yellow hood: Thou Shalt not Kill. On the green cape: Thou shalt not steal. On the yellow robe, a fragment of “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.”

This Latin would have been familiar to an educated person of 17th Century Flanders, one of whom will have commissioned this painting, perhaps to serve as visual reminder against hypocrisy and judging others.

Provenance: Private Danish Collection