The Parable of the Tribute Money
Medium
Pen and brown ink, traces of pen and black ink and black chalk, on paper; framing lines in brown ink
Dimensions
27.2 × 35.4 cm
Classification
Drawing
Department
Drawings
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Dudley P. Allen Fund
Accession Number
1992.115
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
The New Testament parable of the tribute money addresses the division between worldly and divine power. Here, the artist depicted Christ in the center of a civic square with one hand pointing toward a king wearing a crown and an ermine robe and the other toward God above. Encouraged by Christ’s words to show each authority its due, the crowd shows deference to both the king and God via facial expression, pose, and gesture. Parables were enduringly popular on prints, stained glass, and decorative...