This panel, possibly painted by a British artist during the late sixteenth century, depicts a biblical scene from the Book of Judges. The victorious Jephthah is seen, towards the centre of the painting, at the head of a mounted procession after the Israelites’ defeat of the Ammonites. During the battle, Jephthah had vowed to sacrifice the first being to meet him on his return home. In the painting we see Jephthah’s daughter running out in triumph to greet her father, who is horrified to realise that, in order to keep his word, he will have to sacrifice his own child.

Jephthah’s story – from battle to tragic realisation and final sacrifice of his daughter – takes place in a linear fashion from far left to far right with some of the figures appearing more than once. The figure of Jephthah himself appears on horseback at the centre and again at the scene of his daughter’s death on the right.

The recognisably Elizabethan architecture reflects the artist’s attempt to locate the sequence of events in a familiar environment. Windsor Castle is depicted in the background, and the Tudor house and windmill may represent contemporary buildings from the Little Park at Windsor.

The story of the sacrifice of Jephthah’s daughter was often used during the Renaissance to symbolise the ultimate triumph of man’s love of God over worldly ties.