3-002-628 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Episodes from the Story of Susanna, c1450. As told in the Old Testament Book of Daniel, Susanna was a young Babylonian woman who was accosted by two community elders while bathing in her private garden. After rejecting their advances, the elders accused Susanna of adultery and she was sentenced to death. Through the just intervention of the young noble Daniel, however, Susanna was proven innocent and her virtue preserved. This panel depicts the first episodes of the story: at the left, the two elders are seated behind a desk performing their duties as judges, while at the right, Susanna (wearing a blue dress) enters her garden.