Christ and the Samaritan Woman at the Well

1668 · Private collection

religious

This painting depicts the story of Christ meeting with the woman of Samaria from the Gospel of John (4:1-20), a parable of tolerance. When Christ paused to rest at Jacob's Well, a holy site for both Samaritans and Jews, he requested a drink of water from a Samaritan woman. Though initially surprised, since Jews and Samaritans were traditional enemies, she became increasingly intrigued by the knowledgeable and all-seeing visitor as they talked.

Christ and the Samaritan Woman at the Well

About the Artist

Jacob van, the Younger Oost

1639 – 1713

Flemish painter, son and pupil of Jacob van Oost the Elder. He settled in Lille, where he continued his father's tradition, albeit in a somewhat more diffuse style, in which suggestive use is made of flakily smeared brushstrokes. His lifelike Portrait of a Man (1697) is a good example of his painting style. Like his father, Jacob the Younger traveled to expand his artistic horizons. He lived in Paris for two years before traveling to Rome (c. 1660-65), and returned to live for a short time in Bruges before moving to Paris about 1668. He then settled for good in Lille where he married Marie Bourgeois in 1670 and where he obtained numerous commissions from local churches and cloisters. After his wife's death in 1697, Jacob continued his attachment to his hometown of Bruges making periodic visits. Between 1659 and 1670 he frequently collaborated with his father, and their works have often been confused. Increasingly Jacob the Younger was influenced by the great masters in Antwerp, Rubens and van Dyck. Much of his work remains in the churches and museums of that city.

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