Christ and the Woman of Samaria (Liber Studiorum, part XIV, plate 71)

Description

Christ and the woman of Samaria meet beside a well in this landscape designed and etched by J. M. W. Turner and engraved by Samuel William Reynolds. The pair occupy the right foreground beneath a shading tree, with classical ruins to the left. The surrounding architecture gives their intimate encounter a spacious setting, allowing the biblical narrative to unfold within an inhabited landscape.

Published on January 1, 1819, the etching and mezzotint is part of Liber Studiorum. Turner brings a biblical subject into his exploration of landscape, while Reynolds’s tonal engraving gives the design a distinct printed presence. Its interest lies in the relationship between an intimate meeting and the space around it. A familiar sacred narrative becomes approachable through one encounter, making neighboring people and their surrounding world part of the same concentrated image rather than separate subjects.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the J. M. W. Turner collection.