The Tribute Money
Masaccio (c. 1425–1427)
Masaccio’s The Tribute Money unifies three Gospel moments into one rational space, using <strong>continuous narrative</strong>, coherent <strong>light from the right</strong>, and strict <strong>linear perspective</strong> to dramatize Christ’s directive to Peter about the temple tax. The red-clad tax collector confronts the group at center, Peter retrieves the coin at the lake on the left, and he pays the dues at the portico on the right, all bound by emphatic pointing hands and a shared illumination <sup>[2]</sup><sup>[3]</sup>.
