Christ and the Woman of Samaria at the Well

Details

EDWARD COLEY BURNE-JONES, BT., A.R.A, R.W.S. (BRITISH, 1833-1898)
Christ and the Woman of Samaria at the Well
inscribed 'Road/Whitey Brown' (center)
pencil and black chalk on four joined sheets of paper
71 ½ x 35 ¾ in. (181.6 x 90.8 cm.)
Executed in 1880.

Provenance

The artist.
His estate sale; Christie's, London, 5 June 1919, lot 1, as The Woman of Samaria.
with Gooden & Fox, London, acquired at the above sale.
St. Clements Church, Notting Dale, London, until at least 1973.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, Belgravia, 1 October 1979, lot 12, Christ with the Woman of Samaria at the Well (with incorrect dimensions).
Private collection, New York.
with Rehs Galleries, New York, acquired directly from the above, by the 1980s.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 25 November 2004, lot 323.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.

Literature

F. de Lisle, Burne-Jones, 1904, p. 196.
M. Harrison & B. Waters, Burne-Jones, London, 1973, p. 189.
A. C. Sewter, The Stained Glass of William Morris and His Circle, New Haven, 1975, vol. II, pp. 129-130.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Laura H. Mathis VP, Specialist, Head of Sale

Check the condition report or get in touch for additional information about this

LMathis@christies.com +1 212 636 2156

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

View condition report

Lot Essay

Designed for the east window of St. Peter’s Church, Vere Street, London, this is an elegant example of Burne-Jones’s highly successful stained glass designs for Morris and Company. The entry in Burne-Jones's account book is dated 20th August 1880: 'Window for St Peter's Vere St. Christ and the Woman of Samaria - and two attendant angels. £80.’ The two attendant angels mentioned are two additional panels of angels holding scrolls which flanked the main window, which is also surmounted by a scroll reading 'whosoever drinketh of the water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water I shall give shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life'.
The story of Christ and the woman of Samaria comes from John 4:4-42. As Christ travels through Samaria, he rests by Jacob’s well, but has no bucket with which to get water. A woman appears, and Jesus asks her to get him a drink. She replies with surprise as Jews and Samaritans did not share things. Jesus replies: 'Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.' The woman said to him, 'Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.'
Burne-Jones avoids tropes of costume and religious iconography by using the classical drapery and dress seen in much of his work.

More from European Art

View All