Christus met de Samaritaanse vrouw bij een waterput 1647 - 1714

Curator: This print, "Christus met de Samaritaanse vrouw bij een waterput," places us right at that well with Christ and the Samaritan woman. It's a work that existed somewhere between 1647 and 1714 and is attributed to Sebastien Leclerc I. What catches your eye? Editor: It’s incredibly intricate. I am immediately drawn to how the stark lines of the engraving capture such a familiar, yet profound, encounter. The well becomes this really potent visual signifier, right? Curator: Absolutely. And Leclerc was working at a time when printmaking served a crucial function in disseminating ideas. The Church was eager to teach lessons through popular imagery, of course. Editor: The figures are positioned very deliberately, creating a palpable sense of dialogue, not just spoken, but a deeper symbolic exchange. Water has long held religious significance as a symbol of purification and spiritual sustenance. Curator: Precisely. Leclerc here leverages existing cultural and visual tropes to create a resonant image, and placing the city in the background as opposed to the characters creates a really interesting public commentary of exclusion and status of women. Editor: It’s a scene heavy with context. Christ, bathed in that radiant light, juxtaposed against the woman drawing water from a dark well - this all underscores this moment of revelation and social transgression. Curator: Transgression in more ways than one! Religious, societal and legal rules meant that this one meeting at a well challenged long accepted ways of living. Leclerc knew this when designing and creating the engraving for the masses. Editor: Ultimately, what makes this image stay with me is the intimacy he manages to evoke using only line work, a delicate moment frozen in time and distributed throughout a community. Curator: A testament to the power of the print medium in shaping the public sphere, really. Disseminating not only religious narratives, but cultural values along with it.