Christ and the Woman of Samaria
1401 to 1500
Medium
woodcut
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of W.G. Russell Allen
Accession Number
1941.1.79
Art Historical Context
In the National Gallery of Art's collection, *Christ and the Woman of Samaria is a striking woodcut by Lucas Cranach the Elder, leading figure of the German Renaissance active from the late 15th to mid-16th century. Dated between 1401 and 1500, this print captures a pivotal biblical moment from the Gospel of John (4:1-42), where Jesus converses with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, breaking social and cultural taboos to reveal himself as the Messiah. Cranach's composition likely emphasizes the intimate dialogue, rendered with the intricate detail characteristic of Northern Renaissance printm...
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...