The Adulterous Woman--Christ Writing upon the Ground (La femme adultère--Christ écrit par terre)

James Tissot · 1886–1894
Brooklyn Museum, New York

At the foot of a massive stone wall by a temple doorway, Jesus has bent down from the low step and writes on the ground with his finger. Around him stand the scribes and elders in turbans and long robes, frowning and leaning in.

Among them, in a striped dress, stands the woman they have brought, hiding her face in her hands. Tissot let the empty paving in front lead the eye to that small gesture of the finger.

From the text

The scribes and Pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery (John 8:3)

“Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with His finger” (John 8:6)

The artist’s own

The scene by a great doorway of the Temple

The woman hiding her face

Details

Writing

Jesus bends down and writes with his finger.

The woman

She stands among the men and covers her face.

An elder

A white-bearded man in a green robe and yellow shawl.

The window

A lattice window in the old stone wall.

James Tissot, French, 1836–1902. Brooklyn Museum, New York (Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.169) · Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper · Brooklyn Museum (Commons file page, «Permission»): "This image was uploaded by the Brooklyn Museum as a content partnership, and is considered to have no known copyright restrictions by the institutions of the Brooklyn Museum." — "No known copyright restrictions".

The verses

John 8:3–8The scribes and Pharisees, however, brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before them and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do You say?” They said this to test Him, in order to have a basis for accusing Him. But Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with His finger. When they continued to question Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.” And again He bent down and wrote on the ground.