Jesus and the Adulterous Woman, from The New Testament
1635
Medium
Etching on paper
Dimensions
Plate: 6.8 × 8.6 cm (2 11/16 × 3 7/16 in.); Sheet: 7.2 × 9 cm (2 7/8 × 3 9/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
80578
Art Historical Context
In the intimate etching *Jesus and the Adulterous Woman* from Jacques Callot's *The New Testament* series1635), the French Baroque master captures a pivotal biblical moment from John 8:1-11. Here, Christ intervenes as scribes and Pharisees bring a woman accused of adultery before him, challenging her fate with the famous words, "Let him who is sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." Created just before Callot's death, this tiny plate—measuring only 6.8 × 8.6 cm—exemplifies his late-career focus on moral and religious narratives amid the Counter-Reformation's emphasis on Catholic d...
About the Artist
Jacques Callot · 1592–1635
Jacques Callot (1592–1635) was a French printmaker and draftsman from the Duchy of Lorraine, widely regarded as one of the first great artists to practice the graphic arts exclusively. His more than 1,400 etchings chronicled the breadth of 17th-century life, from Medici court festivities to the brutal realities of warfare. Callot revolutionized etching through technical innovations including the é...