Saint Stephen before the Council

Philip Galle after Maerten van Heemskerck

National Gallery of Art

The image depicts multiple full-body figures within an architectural setting. On the left, an elderly man is seated on an elevated platform, possibly a throne, dressed in elaborate robes and a bishop's miter. In front of him, figures stand, including another bearded man who seems to be speaking. Other men in robes, some with wreaths on their heads, and armored soldiers with plumed helmets and spears stand nearby on the right. Pillars surround the scene, and through an archway in the background, a tower and distant landscape are visible. In a smaller panel to the right, a hillside scene with people and a city in the background is illustrated, with a dog lying on the steps in the foreground. The illustration is detailed and depicts a narrative within an architectural framework.