Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple by El Greco, John 2:13-22, Bible.Gallery
Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple is a oil on panel painting by El Greco (1541–1614), created in 1568. Measuring 83 × 65 cm, it depicts the biblical scene from John 2:13-22.
Artwork Description
El Greco's "Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple" (1568) depicts the dramatic moment from John 2:13-22 when Jesus forcefully expels the merchants and money changers who had turned the sacred temple into a marketplace. Now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., this painting is considered by several scholars to be the masterpiece of El Greco's Venetian period.
Despite containing some Cretan elements acquired during his early formal training, this work is fully considered a painting of the Italian Renaissance. The composition demonstrates varied influences, from Tintoretto to Michelangelo and Raphael, as well as Paolo Veronese and other painters of the Cinquecento Venetian school. The handling of anatomy, the bold application of color, and the drama of the scene all reflect El Greco's immersion in the Venetian artistic tradition during this formative period of his career.
There exist three other versions of this subject by El Greco, along with a faithful reproduction in the National Gallery in London that has recently been considered authentic by scholars. Two versions and one on loan from Madrid are titled "Purification of the Temple," while the Washington version is called "Christ Cleansing the Temple." A somewhat different version belongs to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Together these works demonstrate El Greco's sustained engagement with this powerful biblical narrative throughout his career.