Christ and the Samaritan Woman

Angelica Kauffmann painted Christ and the Samaritan Woman around 1796, her late Roman period work depicting the famous Gospel encounter at Jacob's Well where Jesus revealed himself to the Samaritan woman as the Messiah. The subject was unusual in her predominantly classical and mythological output, suggesting a late-career engagement with sacred subjects that complemented her secular mythological work. Her treatment brings the emotional warmth and psychological depth of her figure style to the Gospel narrative, the Samaritan woman's response to Christ's self-revelation rendered with the expressive face and gesture that characterized her best figurative work. The painting was produced in Rome, where she returned in 1781 after her London years.

Kauffman renders the figures with the graceful restraint of her mature Neoclassical style, using a warm Mediterranean palette. The composition is simple and devotional, with the landscape setting providing a naturalistic backdrop for the biblical encounter.