candidate: However , although it is generally agreed that the subject of the painting is Bathsheba at her bath , the scene could represent another biblical story , namely Susannah and the Elders , in which a very beautiful woman , who bathes on a hot day and is watched by two old men ( who are the characters in the arcades in the background ) who unsuccessfully tried to have a sexual intercourse with her and eventually unjustly accused her of adultery .