Christ and the Woman of Samaria
Christ and the Woman of Samaria is a 1637 painting by the Italian artist Artemisia Gentileschi, depicting a story from the New Testament. It is part of a private collection in Palermo.[1]
| Christ and the Woman of Samaria | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Artemisia Gentileschi |
| Year | 1637 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 267.5 cm × 206 cm (105.3 in × 81 in) |
| Location | Private collection, Palermo |
Subject Matter
The story of the Samaritan woman is told in the Gospel of John. A woman leans eagerly forward in conversation with Jesus, in contrast to the typical portrayal of the time which showed the woman sitting passively listening to a monologue.[1] It is one of the few works by Gentileschi with a full landscape.[2] The disciples of Jesus can be seen in the background, walking out of the walled city.[3] The vibrant colors of the figures' clothes and the detailed landscape became associated with the work she produced during this period in Naples.[3]
Provenance
Correspondence from Gentileschi indicates that she was trying to sell two paintings to Cardinal Francesco Barberini in 1637, one of which was a "Woman of Samaria".[4] This work was recently discovered in a private collection and identified at that painting.[4] The work apparently never reached Barberini and its history is otherwise undocumented.[1]
References
- Spear 2011, p. 805.
- Locker 2015, p. 89.
- Locker, Jesse. "Artemisia Gentileschi: What Wasn't in the London Exhibition and Why it Matters". Art Herstory. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- Spear 2011, p. 804.
Sources
- Locker, Jesse (2015). Artemisia Gentileschi : the Language of Painting. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300185119.
- Spear, Richard E. (2011). "Artemisia Gentileschi's 'Christ and the woman of Samaria'". The Burlington Magazine. 153 (1305): 804–805. ISSN 0007-6287.