The subject of this grisaille refers to the English Reformation, formally marked by the Act of Supremacy of 1534, whereby Henry VIII broke away from the Church of Rome and was established as the head of the Church of England. This painting was in the collection of Henry VIII who owned at least two other anti-papal pictures. The composition depicts a pope sprawled on the ground, flanked by two female figures who are labelled ‘AVARA’ (avarice) and ‘YPOCRYSIS’ (hypocrisy). The figures on the ground are being stoned by the four evangelists, each with halos, who are labelled (left to right) ‘IOANNES’, ‘MATHEVS’, ‘LVCAS’ and ‘M[A-R]CVS’. On the ground in front of the figures are a cardinal’s hat and a document with four seals (presumably a Papal Bull).

The city seen in the distance at the left may be Jerusalem. Above the city is a burning candle, which contrasts with another in the immediate foreground that has been extinguished by a cooking pan. These candles have been interpreted as symbolising the true light of the Gospels and the false doctrine of Rome. Historically, the pope should be Paul III, but the depicted likeness is closer to Julius II; a specific identification may not have been intended at all.

The painting has been executed in grisaille (tones of grey) with highlights in gold. The composition bears a striking resemblance to three identical woodcuts illustrating scenes of stoning in the Coverdale Bible of 1535, the first Bible to be issued in English. Girolamo da Treviso is known to have been in England in the service of Henry VIII between 1538 and his death in the siege of Boulogne in 1544. The picture is not listed in the royal inventory of 1542 and may therefore be dated between 1542 and the artist’s death.