Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery

This painting illustrates the Christian New Testament story in which Jesus defied the Pharisees, an ancient religious sect, who had charged a woman with adultery. Challenging Jesus to break the law, the Pharisees asked him if he would follow the required punishment of stoning. After first writing his response on the ground, Jesus spoke: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” Mattia Preti focused on the moment just before Jesus speaks, when Jesus and a Pharisee point to the inscription. Preti’s dramatic close-up view, rich coloration, expressive sky, and heavy use of contrast make this painting representative of the Baroque style that first developed in Rome in the 1630s.