Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery

Ricci's Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery, a mid-eighteenth century work, depicts the New Testament episode of divine forgiveness within the grandly theatrical setting that characterized his mature historical painting style. By mid-century, Ricci had spent years working across Europe — Venice, Florence, London, Vienna, Paris — and his mature style reflected this cosmopolitan exposure while maintaining its essentially Venetian character. His large history paintings revived the compositional grandeur of Veronese and Tintoretto for an eighteenth-century public that appreciated both the historical reference and the contemporary decorative application.

The oil on canvas displays Ricci's characteristic silvery palette and fluid brushwork, with elegant figure groupings and theatrical gestures arranged in a spacious architectural setting reminiscent of Veronese.