English: Christ and the Woman of Samaria

Artist: Benedetto Luti (Italian, Florence 1666–1724 Rome) Date: 1715–20 Medium: Oil on copper Dimensions: 15 × 12 1/8 in. (38.2 × 30.9 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Purchase, Rogers Fund, by exchange, 2015

The picture shows Christ in conversation with a Samaritan woman (John 4:1–28), signifying the universal message of Jesus’s ministry. Its subject relates to that of a larger canvas listed in an inventory taken after the artist’s death. However, the high level of finish and surface detail as well as the use of an expensive copper support make it unlikely that the artist made this merely as a preparatory study.

Luti enjoyed an outstanding reputation in Rome and this painting may have belonged to Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni (1667–1740), one of the most important patrons and collectors of the day.