Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery

Art Historical Context

In the bustling scene ofChrist and the Woman Taken inultery* (1579), visitors encounter a dramatic engraving after a design by Pieter Bruegel Elder, masterfully executed by Pieter Perret and published byes Jansz. Visscher. This work depicts the pivotal biblical moment from the Gospel of John (8:1-11), where Jesus forgives an adulterous woman accused by a hypocritical crowd, challenging them with the famous words, "Let he who is without sin cast the first." Bruegel's composition captures a teeming throng of figures—merchants, scribes, and onlookers—filling the composition with vivid, everyday h...