Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery is an oil-on-canvas expressionist painting by German artist Max Beckmann, executed in 1917.

It is a free interpretation of the episode of the Gospel of John, when Jesus saved a woman taken in adultery from those who wanted to stone her.

Jesus appears at the center of the composition, having the adulteress, wearing a red veil with eyes closed and breasts visible, with her hands folded, begging for mercy, at his feet.

If one could see nothing but Jesus' right hand, one would know that here a poor soul is being received into the mild, deep space of divine protection.

Christ's left hand, shaped like an elongated Gothic arch, defends the sinner, pushing back insults and menaces.