The good Samaritan figured

This 1631 Good Samaritan is a very early work from Bol's period in Rembrandt's studio, when the young artist was directly absorbing the master's approach. The parable—the Samaritan who cares for a man robbed and beaten on the Jerusalem road while priest and Levite pass by—was a favorite of Dutch Protestant iconography for its emphasis on active charity over ritual religious observance. The 1631 date makes this one of Bol's earliest known works, and its debt to Rembrandt's handling of the same subject is direct. The painting documents the pedagogical relationship within Rembrandt's workshop, where students worked from the master's compositions as part of their training.

The early work shows strong Rembrandtesque influence in its dramatic lighting and robust figure painting, demonstrating the young Bol's direct absorption of his master's narrative style.