Rebecca at the well

This previously unpublished painting of an Old Testament subject by Luca Giordano, dated to the late 1650s, depicts Rebecca offering water to Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, who was in search of a suitable wife for his son Isaac. During his long journey, he prayed that whoever provided him and his camels with water would be an eligible woman. Giordano returned to his native Naples in 1653 after a formative journey to Rome the previous year. His work from the late 1650s brought the exuberance of the Baroque to the city. The influence of Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) is especially evident here in the bold use of light and vibrant colors.

We are grateful to Giuseppe Scavizzi for endorsing the attribution on the basis of photographs and for proposing a date in the late-1650s (written communication 6 December 2025).