Christ and the Samaritan Woman

Tisi employs chiaroscuro, contrasting a softly lit facial expression against a predominantly shadowed environment. This lighting technique creates a focal point on the woman while the dark, cloudy sky and distant village recede into the background. The handling of oil paint renders the textures of the flowing robes, the reflective water, and the rugged stone basin with subtle gradations.

Created at the turn of the sixteenth century, the painting entered the State Hermitage Museum’s holdings during the 19th‑century expansion of its European art collection. Documentation traces its acquisition to a purchase from a private Russian collector, though earlier ownership records remain sparse.

Tisi, a pupil of the Ferrarese school, worked during a period when religious subjects were often rendered with heightened emotional intimacy. The composition reflects the Renaissance interest in naturalistic landscapes and the integration of biblical narratives within everyday settings, aligning the sacred encounter with a recognizable, rural environment.