Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery (one of a set of 12 scenes from The Life of Christ)

Jan Rombouts

ca. 1525–30 · Stained glass · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The common phrase “to cast the first stone” is derived from the story shown on this panel, in which Jesus defends a woman accused of adultery. Though artists often borrowed stained-glass compositions from paintings or prints, their techniques were unique to the material. The deep blue of Christ’s robe comes from costly cobalt mixed into molten glass. The fabric’s folds were painted on the blue glass, and then the piece was fired. This colored glass was then joined to pieces of clear glass with lead strips called cames, creating the window’s framework and dynamic composition.

Artist

Jan Rombouts

Date

ca. 1525–30

Medium

Stained glass

Culture

Flemish, Leuven

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Henry Goldman, 1944