Mark 12

The Widow's Mite in Biblical Art

The widow's mite invites artists to contrast public abundance with quiet, costly devotion.

Bible and Art Context

Tissot focuses on the widow's small gift at the temple treasury. The scene looks modest, which is precisely the point Jesus makes to His disciples.

Read Mark 12Bible story page
James Tissot painting of a poor widow giving two mites at the temple treasury

Public domain

The Widow's Mite

James Tissot, circa 1886-1894, Opaque watercolor over graphite

Tissot makes the widow's nearly invisible gift visually central, matching Jesus' teaching.

Source: Wikimedia Commons / Brooklyn Museum

Questions about Widow's Mite in Art

Where is the widow's mite in the Bible?

The account appears in Mark 12 and Luke 21.

What does the widow's mite teach?

Jesus teaches that sacrificial giving from poverty can outweigh large gifts given from abundance.

Related biblical art

Creation of AdamDavid and GoliathNoah's ArkProdigal SonDaniel in the Lions' Den

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