Where can I see Judas Casts down the Pieces of Silver in the Temple?

Judas Casts down the Pieces of Silver in the Temple is held by Statens Museum for Kunst.

What movement is Judas Casts down the Pieces of Silver in the Temple?

Judas Casts down the Pieces of Silver in the Temple is associated with Dutch Golden Age.

Artwork

Judas Casts down the Pieces of Silver in the Temple

Judas Casts down the Pieces of Silver in the Temple is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jacob Willemsz de Wet. It dates from 1642 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Created by Jacob Willemsz de Wet in 1642, this religious work visualizes the moment of Judas's remorse following the betrayal of Jesus.

The painting depicts the biblical narrative of Judas Iscariot casting down the thirty pieces of silver within the Second Temple. Created by Jacob Willemsz de Wet in 1642, this religious work visualizes the moment of Judas's remorse following the betrayal of Jesus. The scene captures the protagonist returning the blood money to the temple authorities, symbolizing the futility of his guilt and the tragic culmination of his treachery.

By setting the event inside the Second Temple, the artist emphasizes the sacred context of the transaction and the gravity of the sin committed against the divine.

Technique & Style

Judas Casts down the Pieces of Silver in the Temple is executed in oil paint on panel, a support typical of Jacob Willemsz de Wet's small-scale cabinet pictures. The work measures 60 cm in height by 83 cm in width, giving it a horizontal orientation suited to a narrative scene set within the architectural space of the Second Temple. As a religious painting, it belongs to the devotional genre tradition of mid-seventeenth-century Dutch art.

The panel support and oil medium allowed de Wet to render fine architectural detail and the figural drama of Judas Iscariot returning the silver, with the smooth surface of the wood panel supporting precise, controlled brushwork. The composition is anchored by the temple interior, framing the central act of casting down the pieces of silver.

History & Provenance

Jacob Willemsz de Wet created the oil-on-panel painting Judas Casts down the Pieces of Silver in the Temple in 1642. The work measures 60 cm in height and 83 cm in width. While the specific commission details and original ownership chain are not documented in the available records, the painting is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen.

The artwork depicts the biblical narrative of Judas Iscariot returning the silver pieces within the setting of the Second Temple.

Context

Jacob Willemsz de Wet painted Judas Casts down the Pieces of Silver in the Temple in 1642, an oil on panel work measuring 60 by 83 centimeters, as recorded in the Statens Museum for Kunst collection.

The painting, classified as religious art, depicts Judas Iscariot within the setting of the Second Temple, reflecting biblical narrative in Dutch Golden Age religious painting.

Scholarship on de Wet’s oeuvre situates this piece within his broader religious subjects, though specific critical reception of this particular work is not detailed in available sources.

Overview

Jacob Willemsz de Wet, a Dutch painter of the 17th‑century Golden Age, completed the oil painting Judas Casts down the Pieces of Silver in the Temple in 1642. The work illustrates a moment from the New Testament in which Judas Iscariot returns the thirty pieces of silver to the Jewish temple after betraying Jesus. It is part of the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen.

The Presentation in the Temple, Gerrit de Wet

Artist & collection

Artist

Jacob Willemsz de Wet

Jacob Willemszoon de Wet or Jacob Willemsz. de Wet the Elder (c. 1610 – between 1675 and 1691) was a Dutch Golden Age painter whose works were largely influenced by Rembrandt.

Museum

Statens Museum for Kunst

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