The horizontally oriented painting depicts a multi-figure scene unfolding in a courtyard. The work is monochromatic—painted in shades of a single color, in this case grey.

In the foreground on the left are two men carrying the dead woman, Sapphira. The first man, on the far left, faces the viewer but leans slightly to the left, his head turned to the right. He has short hair, and his face is cast in shadow. His muscular torso is bare. He holds the dead woman’s bent legs, which obscure him from the waist down; only the cloth wrapped around his waist and part of his muscular calf are visible.

The second man, older, stands to the right. He is turned to the viewer with his left side, his head facing forward. He has short, thinning hair and a round face, with slightly furrowed eyebrows and dark eyes directed toward the woman’s face. He wears a long garment with long sleeves reaching the ground. He supports the woman’s body with his left hand placed at her left side.

Between the two men stands a woman. She faces the viewer, her head bowed over the body. She is shown to the chest. She wears a white headscarf, with light hair visible at her forehead. Her eyes are half-closed and her mouth slightly open. Her expression conveys grief. She is dressed in a blouse with a collar and holds the dead woman’s right hand, which she wraps around her own neck.

The dead woman is carried horizontally, her head to the right. Her arms and chest are exposed. Her head is tilted so that her face is not visible; only the top of her head and protruding nose can be seen. Her hair is light, pinned up with a ribbon that trails to the right. She is wrapped around the waist with a light cloth. Her legs and feet are bare. Beneath her lies a long dark cloth that drapes to the ground.

To the left stands a crowd of people gathered around the men carrying the body. At the very front, near the left edge of the painting, stands a young woman. Her fair hair is neatly tied up. Her head is turned to the right toward the main scene. Her expression shows terror: her eyes are wide open and her mouth agape. She wears a long dress with wide sleeves. Her right hand touches her neckline while her left hand grips part of her dress.

Behind the men carrying Sapphira stands another man. He is partially obscured, visible from the head to the chest. He faces forward, his head turned to the right. He is bald, with slightly furrowed brows. He wears a robe and cloak. His arms are spread in a gesture of shock or lamentation.

The remaining figures in the crowd are mostly obscured by those in the foreground. They are shown only by their heads, facing the viewer. Most are men.

On the right, in the background, stands another group of people gathered on the steps at the entrance of a building. On the far right stands an elderly man, shown in profile facing left. He wears a turban—a head covering made by wrapping fabric around the head. He has a beard reaching his neck and a long robe. This figure is identified as Saint Peter. Next to him, facing the viewer, stands a youth with shoulder-length hair, wearing a robe and cloak reaching the knees. He holds a book in his hands—this is Saint John. At the center of the group is an older man, facing the viewer but turning his head to the right. He has grey hair and a long beard and wears a robe reaching his knees. He lifts his right hand to chest height, while his left arm hangs down, the hand turned outward to the viewer. To the right are people holding baskets and jugs; some kneel on the ground, looking toward the men on the left. On the ground, beside the crowd, lie small boxes and coins.

In the background on the left is an arcade—an architectural structure consisting of two supports joined at the top by an arch. This creates an opening in a wall and distributes the weight across the supports. Arcades often appear in rows to form cloisters. In the painting only one arcade with wide supports is visible, its upper part cut off by the edge of the canvas. Behind it extends a landscape with hills and buildings on their peaks. On the right, behind the crowd in the second plane, stands a building whose upper part extends beyond the frame.

The painting illustrates an event from the early Christian community in Jerusalem, described in the Acts of the Apostles. This community rejected private property, selling homes and land and placing the proceeds at the apostles’ feet, who distributed them according to the needs of the faithful. Ananias and Sapphira, after selling their property, concealed part of the money. Their lie to Saint Peter brought death upon them—first Ananias, and then his wife. This subject is rarely depicted in painting.

Audio description: Emilia Szymańska
Consultation: Adrian Wyka
Content consultation: Miłosz Kargol