The Tenth Commandment 1870

"The Tenth Commandment" is a wood engraving by Winslow Homer from 1870. The artwork depicts two women kneeling and reading a book in a scene that is surrounded by smaller images depicting various forms of temptation, including money, a house, and a cow. The image is a commentary on the tenth commandment, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his." Homer was a prolific artist known for his detailed depictions of everyday life and social commentary, as seen in this powerful engraving.