The Good Samaritan (The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ)

Art Historical Context

This wood engraving captures a pivotal moment from the biblical Parable of the Good Samaritan, in which a compassionate traveler tends to a wounded stranger left by the roadside. Created in 1864 as part of the illustrated volume *The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ*, the print emphasizes themes of mercy and human connection amid a stark landscape, with the central figures and a patient donkey rendered in careful detail. Sir John Everett Millais, a leading figure of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, designed the image, while the Dalziel Brothers translated his vision into wood engraving—a technique prized in the Victorian era for its ability to produce fine lines and tonal depth suitable for book illustration. As a proof impression, this example offers insight into the meticulous printing process used to disseminate religious stories to a broad audience through affordable publications. Millais’s composition blends naturalistic observation with moral storytelling, reflecting the period’s renewed interest in accessible Christian imagery. Housed today in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of prints, the work highlights how 19th-century artists harnessed reproductive media to bring sacred narratives into everyday homes.

About the Artist

Dalziel Brothers|Sir John Everett Millais (British|British) · 1839 |1823 –1893 |1906

British, active 1839–93|British, Wooler, Northumberland 1823–1906 Herne Bay, Kent