Landscape with the Good Samaritan
1600 - 1660
Medium
copper (metal)
Dimensions
27; 3.5; 21
About this artwork
olieverf op koper
Art Historical Context
Adam Elsheimer's *Landscape with the Good Samaritan* (c. early 1600s) is a exquisite gem of Northern European painting, crafted in oil on a copper panel measuring just 21 x 27 cm. This intimate medium was Elsheimer's specialty—copper's smooth, reflective surface allowed for extraordinary detail and a jewel-like luminosity, making his works prized by collectors like Rubens and Rembrandt, who admired his innovative use of light. Set against a vast, atmospheric landscape, the painting depicts the biblical Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), where a merciful traveler aids a robbed man....
About the Artist
Adam Elsheimer · 1578–1610
Elsheimer's meticulously detailed small paintings on copper would establish him as the most influential artist to follow Albrecht Dürer. He most likely arrived in Italy ca. 1598, where he quite possibly was associated with Hans Rottenhammer, and then moved to Rome in 1600, where he remained until his death. Comment on works: Landscapes; Religious.