Christ and the Samaritan Woman

Italian (Venetian School), 1470-1531
c. 1520–1530
Oil on canvas
Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation

Christ and the Samaritan Woman depicts a Biblical scene in which Jesus, while traveling with his disciples in the region of Samaria, meets a Samaritan woman at a well. Jesus asks the woman for water for his bucket, defying the custom of Jews and Samaritans avoiding each other in society. During their conversation, Jesus reveals himself to the woman as the Messiah, converting her to his teachings. Catena focuses on the moment of revelation in this painting, showing the Samaritan woman in awe as Jesus raises a hand in benediction. The hierarchal relationship of Jesus as the woman’s savior is emphasized not only in the staggered positions of the figures, but in the placement of Jesus’s water bucket above that of the woman. The peaceful landscape in the background was most likely inspired by the foothills of the Alps that are located to the north of Venice.