This image depicts a moment from the story of Susanna, the biblical Apocryphal heroine who spurned the advances of two old men. They falsely accused her of adultery, but her honor was restored. Like many representations of Susanna and the elders, Carracci's widely circulated print departs from the biblical text in its sensualization of the subject. Susanna bathes in a lush garden, the fountain before her decorated with symbols of love and desire. Although she appears to pull away from the pleading gesticulations of the elders, her expression seems to indicate amused pleasure at the power of her charms. Her partial covering of herself enhances the scene's eroticism for the viewer. The antique type that Susanna's pose is modeled after, the crouching Venus, in itself carries erotic connotations.