Christus en de Samaritaanse vrouw 1510 - 1569

Jacob Binck created this small engraving of Christ and the Samaritan woman, sometime in the first half of the 16th century. The scene depicts the moment in the Gospel of John when Jesus asks a Samaritan woman for water from a well. Binck was a German artist who worked for the royal court in Copenhagen. The Protestant Reformation was gaining momentum at this time, and Binck's art reflects that. He produced many religious images, often in the form of small, portable prints like this one. These images would have been used for private devotion, and they helped to spread Protestant ideas about personal piety and the importance of scripture. Note the prominence of the well as the central trope and metaphor. To fully appreciate this engraving, we need to understand the religious and political context in which it was made. Art historians use a variety of resources to do this, including historical documents, theological treatises, and other works of art from the period.