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Christ and the Woman of Samaria (Gentileschi)

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Christ and the Woman of Samaria
ArtistArtemisia Gentileschi
Year1637
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions267.5 cm × 206 cm (105.3 in × 81 in)
LocationPalazzo Blu, Pisa

Christ and the Woman of Samaria is a 1637 oil painting on canvas by the Italian artist Artemisia Gentileschi, depicting a story from the New Testament. It was part of a private collection in Palermo,[1] and is now in the public Palazzo Blu in Pisa.

Subject matter

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The story of the Samaritan woman is told in the Gospel of John. A woman leans eagerly forward in conversation with Jesus, in contrast to the typical portrayal of the time which showed the woman sitting passively listening to a monologue.[1] It is one of the few works by Gentileschi with a full landscape.[2] The disciples of Jesus can be seen in the background, walking out of the walled city.[3] The vibrant colors of the figures' clothes and the detailed landscape became associated with the work she produced during this period in Naples.[3]

Provenance

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Correspondence from Gentileschi indicates that she was trying to sell two paintings to Cardinal Francesco Barberini in 1637, one of which was a Woman of Samaria.[4] This work was recently discovered in a private collection and identified at that painting.[4] The work apparently never reached Barberini and its history is otherwise undocumented.[1] It was acquired by the Palazzo Blu museum in Pisa in November 2022.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Spear 2011, p. 805.
  2. ^ Locker 2015, p. 89.
  3. ^ a b Locker, Jesse. "Artemisia Gentileschi: What Wasn't in the London Exhibition and Why it Matters". Art Herstory. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b Spear 2011, p. 804.
  5. ^ "Pisa, Palazzo Blu acquires important work by Artemisia Gentileschi". Finestre sull'Arte. Retrieved 22 March 2023.

Sources

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