Artwork
Expulsion of the Merchants from the Temple
Expulsion of the Merchants from the Temple is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Jacopo Bassano. It dates from 1568 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Overview
Jacopo Bassano’s oil on canvas, dated 1568, depicts the biblical episode of the merchants being expelled from the temple. The work is part of the Museo del Prado’s collection. It presents a crowded interior of a stone edifice where figures in varied attire react to a sudden disturbance, creating a vivid narrative tableau.
Subject & Meaning
The scene illustrates the moment when Jesus drives out the money‑changers, a theme drawn from the Gospels. Bassano emphasizes the disorder of the market‑like setting: men in red robes and simple tunics are shown kneeling, standing, or fallen, while a white‑clad figure tends a basket of eggs, underscoring the clash between sacred space and commercial activity.
Technique & Style
Employing a dramatic chiaroscuro, Bassano contrasts deep shadows with bright highlights that illuminate faces and objects, intensifying the sense of turmoil. The palette is dominated by bold reds and stark whites, and the composition is arranged to lead the eye toward a central figure in a red robe pointing upward, reinforcing the narrative’s moral authority.
History & Provenance
Created in the late Renaissance, the painting entered the Spanish royal collection before being transferred to the Museo del Prado, where it remains on display. Its provenance reflects the broader movement of Italian religious works into northern European collections during the 17th and 18th centuries.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jacopo Bassano was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school. He was born and died in Bassano del Grappa, and took the village as his surname. Having trained in the workshop of his father, Francesco the…
