Christ and the Adulteress

The Christ and the Adulteress is an oil painting on canvas (180×235 cm) by Luca Giordano, executed in about 1660 and kept at the Pio Monte della Misericordia in Naples.

The canvas turns out to be a faithful replica of another painting by Giordano that has now become part of a private Neapolitan collection. It is one of the seven works preserved in the seven minor altars surrounding the main one located in the center of the room which, in turn, preserves the Seven Works of Mercy by Caravaggio.

The scene represented is taken from the Gospel according to John: the scribes bring to Jesus a woman accused of adultery, who, according to the law, should have been stoned. The condemned woman is exonerated by Christ with simple words: Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.