Christ and the Woman of Samaria
Medium
Woodcut; first state of three
Dimensions
Sheet: 10 7/8 × 6 3/16 in. (27.7 × 15.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1926
Accession Number
26.64.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
In Lucas Cranach the Elder's *Christ and the Woman of Samaria a delicate woodcut from the first of three, we witness a pivotal biblical encounter from the Gospel of John4:1–42). Christ, seated at Jacob's well, converses with a Samaritan woman drawing water, symbolizing themes of spiritual thirst, redemption, and breaking social barriers—Jews and Samaritans rarely interacted, and women were often overlooked in public discourse. Cranach, a leading German Renaissance artist (1472–1553) and close ally of Martin Luther, infuses the scene with his signature elegance: slender figures, intricate drape...
About the Artist
Lucas Cranach the Elder · 1472–1553
Lucas Cranach the Elder (c. 1472-1553) was one of the most prominent German Renaissance painters and a key artistic figure of the Protestant Reformation. Born in Kronach, Franconia, to the painter Hans Maler, Cranach began his career in Vienna around 1502, where he became one of the founders of the Danube School, a movement characterized by expressive landscape painting and emotional force. His ea...