Christ and the Woman of Samaria at the Well

Art Historical Context

Luca Cambiaso (1527–1585), a leading Genoese artist of the late Renaissance, created this expressive drawing of Christ and the Woman of Samaria at the Well. The scene depicts the well-known biblical encounter from the Gospel of John, in which Jesus speaks with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, offering her “living water.” Cambiaso’s confident brushwork and fluid ink lines capture the intimate moment with remarkable economy, emphasizing gesture and light rather than fine detail. Executed in brush and ink on paper, the drawing exemplifies Cambiaso’s celebrated draftsmanship. Such works were hi...

About the Artist

Luca Cambiaso · 1527–1585

Luca Cambiaso (1527–1585) was an Italian painter and draftsman who dominated artistic life in Genoa during the second half of the sixteenth century and became one of the most innovative draftsmen of the Late Renaissance. Born in Moneglia near Genoa, he trained under his father, the painter Giovanni Cambiaso, and demonstrated precocious talent, reportedly completing his first public fresco commissi...