sir peter lely susanna and the elders tate britain gallery london england

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Sir Peter Lely, Susanna and the Elders at the Tate Britain Gallery in London England

The subject is taken from the Old Testament. Two community elders have been spying on Susanna by hiding in her garden. When she comes out to bathe, they threaten that unless she has sex with them, they will publicly accuse her of adultery. The penalty for adultery was death. She refuses and their accusations lead to her being arrested. However, the prophet Daniel proves the elders are lying and she is released. Lely was born in Germany, though his family came from the Netherlands. After training in Haarlem, he arrived in England in the early 1640s. Lely was appointed Principal Painter to King Charles II in 1660 and became the leading portrait painter in Britain.