Christ and the Woman Taken in Adulterymid 1700s · Study 1916.785

Context from the museum

The subject originates in the Gospel of John 7:53-8:11, where Pharisees bring a woman accused of adultery to Christ, attempting to trick him into disobeying the Old Testament precept that she be stoned. In response, Christ interrupted his writing on the ground, stating: "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." The Pharisees, unable to retort, gradually disperse, and Christ eventually sends the woman away with an admonition not to sin again. The subject was popular in 18th-century Venice, partly because magnanimity was an important value, celebrated in visual, musical, and literary culture. The showy, exotic subject and the public presentation of an openly sexualized woman also enjoyed popularity in 18th-century Venetian painting. This work is a copy of the picture at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, perhaps by a student (and certainly not by Ricci himself)

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery is 43.5 cm wide and 34.6 cm high, equivalent to approximately 17.1 × 13.6 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.26:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.15 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 14.5% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 128.3 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on canvas, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 43.5 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?