Relief Tribunal (Supplemental)

The seated man in the centre of the relief is Zaleucus, the lawgiver of a Greek colony in southern Italy. One of his eyes is being gouged out. On the left of Zaleucus is his son, who has already lost an eye. The people stand around them, looking on sympathetically. Behind the group is a typical Greek colonnade, a Stoa, with Ionic columns. According to legend, Zaleucus had to try his own son for adultery. The penalty was the loss of both eyes, so that the culprit could never again look at another woman. This law had been devised earlier by Zaleucus himself. The people protested against the punishment being carried out, out of respect for their lawgiver, so Zaleucus demonstrated his mercy by sharing the punishment with his son: two eyes were gouged out, but each of them lost only one.

Additional information:
This scene was intended to show that the Amsterdam courts were as merciful as Zaleucus. In administering justice, the sheriff and magistrates were to follow the example of classical antiquity.