Susanna and the Elders,

ca. 1560

The story of the Biblical heroine Susanna, as told in the book of Daniel, represented the opportunity for Renaissance artists to demonstrate their virtuosity in the depiction of the female nude while emphasizing Susanna’s moral triumph as an example of divine justice. In this composition, Susanna appears twice: in the foreground, raising her arms in praise of God; and in the background, where she is shown bathing in a pool while accosted by two elders, who threaten to accuse her of adultery (a crime punishable by death) unless she sleeps with them. Refusing to do so, she is later arrested on the false testimony of the elders but is proved innocent by Daniel, who cross-examines the men and exposes them as liars, whereupon they are stoned to death.