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Christ and the Woman taken in Adultery

Maker

(artist)
1643-1695

Formerly attributed to
(artist)
1612-1667

Formerly attributed to
(artist)
1600-1699

Title

Date of Production

1600 - 1699

Medium

black chalk on laid paper, now laid down on Japanese tissue

Dimensions

Height: 27.5 cm
Width: 19.1 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.3781

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords

Label Text

According to the Gospel of Saint John, a Jewish woman who engaged in adultery was about to be stoned. Jesus was consulted and, not wishing to speak out and offend the authorities, wrote in the dust: “He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her”. The refined handling of the black chalk produces a rich, atmospheric quality characteristic of Juan de Sevilla’s drawings. The drawing may have been preparatory for a painting or served as an independent work.

Provenance

possibly acquired by Frank Hall Standish (1799-1840) in Seville, early 1630s (described in his catalogue as 'La femme adultere' with slightly different dimensions and technique - 180 x 268 mm and 'dessin à la plume'); possibly bequeathed by him to Louis Philippe, King of France (1773-1850); if so, possibly purchased at his estate sale, Defer and Potier (Paris), 6 December 1852 by Sir William Stirling Maxwell (1818-1878); E. Parsons & Sons, catalogue 46, after 1926, lot 127; F.A. Drey (London); purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), n.d.; Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

The Spanish Line - From Ribera to Picasso, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 13/10/2011-15/01/2012

Spanish drawings from the Witt Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1978 (March - May)

A selection of Spanish drawings from the Witt Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1956

Literature

Véliz, Zahira, Spanish Drawings in the Courtauld Gallery: complete catalogue, London, 2011
no. 72
ill. on p. 211

Spanish drawings from the Witt Collection, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1978 (March - May)
cat. no. 45

A selection of Spanish drawings from the Witt Collection, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1956
cat. no. 18 ...More

Catalogue des tableaux, dessins, et gravures de la collection Standish, légués au Roi par M. F. H. Standish., Paris 1842 ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Inscription: Recto: lower left, brown ink: “J [or “T”]n. Sn.” [both “n”s superscript]; lower right corner, brown ink: “me [?]”.

Collector's mark: none.

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