c. 1723

The Woman Taken in Adultery

The Protestant religious culture of eighteenth-century Dutch settlements in New York and the Hudson River Valley is vividly manifested in scripture paintings. The subject of Woman Taken in Adultery, a story about not judging others, comes from the Gospel according to John in the New Testament. The figural style and architectural setting exemplify the art of Gerardus Duyckinck I, who evidently based this work on an engraving from a contemporary Dutch Bible. Scripture paintings typically were displayed in dining rooms where family members and guests could admire the images and contemplate their familiar moral lessons.