Jesus And The Adulteress, Antwerp, XVII

An extraordinairy representation of Christ and the adulteress. An interesting detail is the way the woman shows the dog moving away from her. The dog is the symbol of fidelity. Attributed to Artus Quellinus II, 17th century, Antwerp. The scene is carved from a large piece of boxwood, 26 x 23 cm. (including the list) Jesus went to the Mount of Olives and, early in the morning, he was again at the Temple. Everyone came to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought him a woman caught in adultery. They placed her in the center and said to Jesus: “Master, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Moses in the law commands us to stone such women. What do you think ? They said that to test him, to see if they could charge him. Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. As they persisted, he straightened up and said, "Whoever of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at him." He stooped down again and wrote on the ground. When they heard this, they went away one by one, the older ones first, and they left him alone with the woman who stood in the middle. Jesus straightened up and asked him, “Where are they? No one condemned you? "No one, my lord," she said. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go home and sin no more from now on. »