Follower of Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606-1669), perhaps Willem Drost (1633-1659)

Christ and the Woman of Samaria

Amsterdam, late 1640s

Pen and brown ink

210 x 190 mm

At Sychar in the West Bank, Christ meets the Samaritan Woman at a well. Christ uses the well’s water as an analogy for Christian salvation and the sacrament of the Eucharist. The well’s water offers no heavenly reward. However, those who consume the living water of Christ will receive eternal life. Unlike many religious drawings, this sketch was not made in preparation for an altarpiece. Using ink on paper, the artist explored a humble interaction between the woman and an exhausted Christ. Glimpses of a winding road ascending into the hills in the background offers an allusion to Christ’s long journey to Galilee.

Purchased 1940 (No.40.6)