Artwork
Der barmherzige Samariter bezahlt den Wirt (nach)
Der barmherzige Samariter bezahlt den Wirt (nach) is an unspecified painting by the Mannerist artist Heinrich Aldegrever. It dates from 1531 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Heinrich Aldegrever’s 1531 oil on panel, titled *Der barmherzige Samariter bezahlt den Wirt (nach)*, depicts a biblical episode from the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The work is part of the collection of Munich’s Alte Pinakothek, where it is displayed among other Northern Renaissance religious paintings.
Subject & Meaning
The scene presents three figures in vivid garments gathered around a donkey. A man in red holds the animal’s bridle, another in blue leans forward, while a third, wearing a fur hat, examines a small object, likely the payment for the innkeeper. The composition captures the moment when the Samaritan settles the bill for the wounded traveler’s care, emphasizing charity and duty.
Technique & Style
Aldegrever employs a warm palette and precise linear detailing characteristic of the German Renaissance. The figures are rendered with careful attention to texture—rich fabrics, fur trim, and the donkey’s coarse hide—while the architectural backdrop, with columns and a bridge, is modeled in subdued tones to focus attention on the central action.
History & Provenance
Created in 1531, the painting entered the Alte Pinakothek’s holdings during the museum’s 19th‑century acquisitions of German masters. Its provenance prior to that remains undocumented, but the work has been referenced in catalogues of Aldegrever’s religious output since the early 1900s.
Context
The Parable of the Good Samaritan was a popular subject for Reformation‑era artists, who used it to illustrate moral responsibility across confessional lines. Aldegrever, active in the Cologne school, often infused his religious scenes with everyday details, linking biblical narratives to contemporary social concerns.
Artist & collection
Artist
Heinrich Aldegrever or Aldegraf was a German painter and engraver. He was one of the "Little Masters", the group of German artists making small old master prints in the generation after Albrecht Dürer.
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