Susannah and the Elders

Two lascivious Jewish judges lean over the voluptuous nude Susannah, the God-fearing wife of a rich and prominent Jew, bullying her as she bathes in what she thought was the privacy of her husband’s garden. She shies away in modesty, refusing their desires despite their threats to accuse her of adultery; when they later brought her to trial, the young prophet Daniel proved her innocence and her false accusers were sentenced to death in her place. Johann Carl Loth, the German master who made his career in Venice, set Susannah in the bright light of day while the elders lurk in the shadows, with bold color and dramatic chiaroscuro. The painting is held in the J. Paul Getty Museum.