Christ and the Woman of Samaria at the Well

Art Historical Context

Luca Cambiaso (1527–1585), a leading Genoese artist of the late Renaissance, created this expressive drawing of Christ and the Woman of Samaria at the Well. The scene depicts the well-known biblical encounter from the Gospel of John, in which Jesus speaks with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, offering her “living water.” Cambiaso’s confident brushwork and fluid ink lines capture the intimate moment with remarkable economy, emphasizing gesture and light rather than fine detail. Executed in brush and ink on paper, the drawing exemplifies Cambiaso’s celebrated draftsmanship. Such works were highly valued in the sixteenth century both as independent works of art and as preparatory studies. The medium allowed the artist to explore dramatic contrasts and rapid compositional ideas, techniques that influenced later generations of Italian draftsmen. Measuring just over 14 by 9 inches, this sheet entered the Metropolitan Museum’s collection in 1887 as a gift from Cephas G. Thompson. Today it offers visitors a vivid glimpse into Cambiaso’s inventive approach to religious narrative and the enduring appeal of drawings as windows into an artist’s creative process.

About the Artist

Luca Cambiaso · 1527–1585

Luca Cambiaso (1527–1585) was an Italian painter and draftsman who dominated artistic life in Genoa during the second half of the sixteenth century and became one of the most innovative draftsmen of the Late Renaissance. Born in Moneglia near Genoa, he trained under his father, the painter Giovanni Cambiaso, and demonstrated precocious talent, reportedly completing his first public fresco commissi...