Artwork
Christ and the Woman of Samaria
Christ and the Woman of Samaria is an unspecified painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Matteo Rosselli. It dates from 1620 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Overview
Matteo Rosselli, an Italian painter working in Florence at the turn of the 17th century, completed the oil painting *Christ and the Woman of Samaria* in 1620.
Matteo Rosselli, an Italian painter working in Florence at the turn of the 17th century, completed the oil painting *Christ and the Woman of Samaria* in 1620. Executed during the early Baroque period, the work reflects the transitional aesthetics between late Counter‑Mannerism and the emerging Baroque sensibility. It is presently part of the permanent collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
Subject & Meaning
The composition illustrates the biblical encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, a narrative drawn from the Gospel of John. Rosselli places the figures in a garden, emphasizing the intimate exchange of words. A young boy with a fruit basket and a bearded man in a pink tunic flank the central interaction, underscoring themes of hospitality, revelation, and the crossing of cultural boundaries.
Technique & Style
Rosselli employs a soft, diffused light that models the faces and creates gentle chiaroscuro, lending the scene a calm three‑dimensionality. The figures are rendered in a grand‑manner style, with elongated poses and rich, saturated drapery—particularly the woman’s red‑yellow robe. Subtle shadows fall across the foliage and distant architecture, enhancing depth while maintaining a harmonious overall palette.
History & Provenance
After its completion in 1620, the painting entered private collections before being acquired by the Austrian imperial court in the 18th century. It was subsequently transferred to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it has remained on display. Documentation of its early ownership is limited, but the work has been catalogued in several scholarly inventories of Rosselli’s oeuvre.
Context
Rosselli’s career unfolded amid Florence’s artistic shift from the highly stylized Mannerist approach toward the more naturalistic Baroque. *Christ and the Woman of Samaria* exemplifies this transition, combining the compositional elegance of the earlier period with the emerging emphasis on dramatic lighting and emotional immediacy that would dominate later 17th‑century Italian painting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Matteo Rosselli (10 August 1578 – 18 January 1650) was an Italian painter of the late Florentine Counter-Mannerism and early Baroque. He is best known however for his highly populated grand-manner historical paintings.
![Man Playing a Lute [recto], by Matteo Rosselli](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/matteo-rosselli--man-playing-a-lute-recto--ba21023023a336b9-w320.webp)
![Man Leaning on a Rail [verso], by Matteo Rosselli](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/matteo-rosselli--man-leaning-on-a-rail-verso--c9936b6777df930d-w320.webp)
