The story of the Tribute Money is told in the same way in several of the Gospels (Matthew xxii. 16-22, Mark xii. 13-17, Luke xx. 20-6). The Pharisees attempted to trap Christ by asking whether or not it was lawful to pay tribute, to which Christ replied: 'Render unto Caesar the things that be Caesar's, and unto God the things that be God's.' The story was used as an anti-papal allegory in Titian's Tribute Money, painted for Ferrara.

In this canvas ten figures are shown at full-length, with Christ and the Pharisees at the centre. One is questioning Christ, who looks back over his left shoulder. The five Apostles are behind, at the right, and one the left before a city gate are three men are in conversation. The scene takes place before a landscape background.

Attributed at one time to Veronese, and then to Bassano, Scarsellino was proposed as the artist in 1929. This is clearly correct; although he is a variable artist, comparative material is provided by The Pilgrims of Emmaus (Galleria Borghese, Rome) and the Noli me tangere (Musee Magnin, Dijon).