Christ and the Adulteress

Eight figures stand out against a dark background. The adulteress has been brought before Christ by the Pharisees and the Scribes. It shows the moment when Christ challenges the onlookers to throw the first stone. The text ‘Let him who is without sin cast the first stone’ is written on the golden panel above the figures. The people’s reactions are amusing, as they quickly try to hide their stones. The man on the left is even hiding his stone in a child’s cloak. Christ does not judge the woman and she is left unhurt. There is a striking contrast between the elegant woman and the five men. The men have wild shocks of hair and one is missing an eye. Two of them are holding a scroll of the Law of Moses. One exceptional detail is the inscription of the maker’s name on the lady’s belt buckle: MARCHVS / MARCIALIS / V[enetus] F[ecit].