The Parable of the Tribute Money

Also known as: The Parable of the Tribute Money: Render to Caesar What Belongs to Caesar and to God What Belongs to God

About the Artwork

The New Testament parable of the tribute money addresses the division between worldly and divine power. Here, the artist depicted Christ in the center of a civic square with one hand pointing toward a king wearing a crown and an ermine robe and the other toward God above. Encouraged by Christ’s words to show each authority its due, the crowd shows deference to both the king and God via facial expression, pose, and gesture. Parables were enduringly popular on prints, stained glass, and decorative objects for their relevance to the issues and choices made by everyday citizens.

Inscriptions

falsely signed, lower right, in brown ink: Hans van Aken fecit. [abraded, visible under UV] ; VERSO, right center, in graphite: 259 ; lower left, in graphite: 641 M. 244 / (1V7) ; lower left, in graphite: PMG ; lower right, in graphite: 2063 [circled] ; lower right, in graphite: [illegible] [partially erased] ; lower right, in graphite: [illegible] [partially erased] ; lower right, in graphite: 239. ; lower right, in graphite: 53 [crossed out]

Provenance

?-1992: Private collection, Germany (unidentified collector's mark: PMG (not in Lugt) 1992: with Thomas Le Claire Kunsthandel, Hamburg, 1992 1992: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Exhibition history

Selected Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 9-April 11, 1993). Tales of the City: Drawing in the Netherlands from Bosch to Bruegel. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (co-organizer) (October 9, 2022-January 8, 2023).

Quick Overview

Artist: Master of the Egmont Albums (Netherlandish, 1480-1620)
Date: c. 1580–1600
Medium: Pen and brown ink, traces of pen and black ink and black chalk, on paper; framing lines in brown ink
Dimensions: Sheet: 27.2 x 35.4 cm (10 11/16 x 13 15/16 in.)
Type: Drawing
Classification: Drawing
Department: Drawings
Credit line: Dudley P. Allen Fund
Accession no.: 1992.115

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.