Christ and the Woman of Samaria: An Arched Print

Rembrandt · 1657–58
The Cleveland Museum of Art

Rembrandt returned to this story in 1657, more than twenty years after an earlier etching of it. The plate is arched at the top; this is a late impression of its third and final state.

Jesus leans on a wall by the well and talks with the woman, who rests her arms on her bucket. On the right his disciples come back along the path, and a hilltop town fills the distance.

From the text

“Jesus, weary from His journey, sat down by the well” (John 4:6)

“When a Samaritan woman came to draw water” (John 4:7)

“Just then His disciples returned” (John 4:27)

The artist’s own

A town of towers and domes on a hill, like European towns of his time

A wooden bucket on the rim and a second pail on the step

Details

Jesus

He leans on a wall beside the well and looks at the woman.

The woman

She stands with her forearms resting on her bucket, listening.

The well

A broad, round well with a thick stone rim.

The disciples

The disciples come back along the path.

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669). The Cleveland Museum of Art (Bequest of Gordon K. Mott, 1998.385) · Etching and drypoint · Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access: Collection API record "share_license_status": "CC0" (Creative Commons Zero, https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/).

The verses

John 4:6–9Since Jacob’s well was there, Jesus, weary from His journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) “You are a Jew,” said the woman. “How can You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

John 4:27Just then His disciples returned and were surprised that He was speaking with a woman. But no one asked Him, “What do You want from her?” or “Why are You talking with her?”