Christ and the Woman taken in Adultery
Maker
(Artists)
1525-1569
1525-1569
Title
Christ and the Woman taken in Adultery
Date of Production
1565
Medium
oil on panel
Dimensions
Height: 24.1 cm (panel)
Width: 34.4 cm (panel)
Width: 34.4 cm (panel)
Accession Number
P.1978.PG.48
Mode of Acquisition
Count Antoine Seilern, bequest, 1978
Credit
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Copyright
Work in the public domain
Location
On display
Keywords
Label Text
On the steps of the Temple of Jerusalem, Christ stops the execution of a woman condemned to death by stoning for adultery. He writes in the dust (in Dutch): ‘He who is without sin, let him [cast the first stone].’ The scene can be read as a plea for tolerance during a time of political and religious upheaval in the Low Countries (now Belgium), where Pieter Bruegel lived. Bruegel painted this work using only shades of grey, a technique known as ‘grisaille’. The limited palette showed off the artist’s skill. Here, Bruegel creates a crowd with a few deft strokes of grey paint and white highlights. The subdued colours also encouraged quiet contemplation. Such works were highly prized among Bruegel’s friends and collectors.
Provenance
Inherited from the artist by Jan Brueghel the Elder; bequeathed by him to Cardinal Federico Borromeo, Milan, 1625; returned by Borromeo to Jan Brueghel the Younger, Antwerp; Peeter Stevens, Antwerp; his sale, Antwerp, 13 August 1668, lot 14; Henri van Halmale, Bishop of Ypres (1625-1676); Robert Hampden-Trevor, 1st Viscount Hampden (1706-1783); by descent to Jane-Maria, Viscountess Hampden (d. 1833); her sale, Christie's, London, 19 April 1834, lot 61; acquired by Alexander Hope, Luffness (Scotland); by descent until sale of Major Alexander P.J. Hope, Christie's, London, 1 February 1952, lot 60; acquired at the sale by by Dr Alfred Scharf 'acting on behalf of a friend on the Continent'; Count Antoine Seilern, London; bequeathed by him to the Home House Trust (later Samuel Courtauld Trust) as part of the Princes Gate Bequest, 1978; stolen from gallery at Woburn Square, 1982; recovered, 1992
Exhibition History
Sin, National Gallery, London, 06/10/2020-03/01/2021
The Courtauld at the National Gallery, National Gallery, London, 27/03/2019-05/08/2019
Bruegel in Black and White: Three Grisailles Reunited, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 04/02/2016-08/05/2016 ...More
National Gallery (to be displayed with permanent collection), National Gallery, London, 01/09/1997-01/06/1998
Bruegel et son monde, Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts/Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten, Brussels, 20/08/1969-16/11/1969 ...Less
The Courtauld at the National Gallery, National Gallery, London, 27/03/2019-05/08/2019
Bruegel in Black and White: Three Grisailles Reunited, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 04/02/2016-08/05/2016 ...More
National Gallery (to be displayed with permanent collection), National Gallery, London, 01/09/1997-01/06/1998
Bruegel et son monde, Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts/Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten, Brussels, 20/08/1969-16/11/1969 ...Less
Literature
Stechow, Wolfgang, Pieter Bruegel The Elder, London 1990 (concise edition of 1970 publication)
p. 18
Fig. p. fig. 9 on p. 19
p. 18
Fig. p. fig. 9 on p. 19
Inscriptions
Inscription: inscription : : lower left corner within image : : BRVEGEL.M.D.LXV
Inscription: inscription : : within image, foreground by Christ's hand : : DIE SONDER SONDE IS / DIE [Flemish text, John, VII, 7 'He that is without sin among you, let him (first cast a stone at her')]
Inscription: inscription : : within image, foreground by Christ's hand : : DIE SONDER SONDE IS / DIE [Flemish text, John, VII, 7 'He that is without sin among you, let him (first cast a stone at her')]
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