Christ and the Samaritan

Christ and the Samaritan Woman by Duccio di Buoninsegna is a small panel that was part of the predella of the Maestà, an altar commissioned from Duccio for the cathedral of Siena. This large group was dismembered around 1771 and, although the majority is preserved in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (Siena), the remaining panels ended up in private collections and museums. The scene represents Christ sitting at the edge of Jacob's well, the Samaritan woman goes there carrying a pitcher on her head; Communication between the two is done through gestures. On the right, a group of disciples observe the scene framed by an architectural background – the city of Samaria, called Sychar – in an attempt to give spatial depth to the painting. This panel by Duccio is the first testimony to the evolution of 14th-century art towards models of greater naturalism, narrative character and attention to space.