The Good Samaritan

Date1633

Maker Rembrandt van Rijn Dutch, 1606-1669

Label TextIn a biblical parable of selfless charity (Luke 10:25-37), a Samaritan helped a traveler of another faith who had been attacked by robbers, stripped, and beaten. The Samaritan helped him onto his own horse, took him to an inn, and paid for his lodging. Rembrandt shows the arrival at the inn and devotes attention to the commonplace activities of decent people. The squatting dog was the kind of earthy detail that Rembrandt did not hesitate to insert into solemn religious images. This print is based on Rembrandt's painting of the same theme in the Wallace Collection, London.

Object number61.82

Provenance[Alan G. Thomas Bookseller, Bournemouth, England]; purchased from dealer by Norman Davis, Seattle, December 1, 1960; gift from Mr. and Mrs. Davis to Seattle Art Museum, April 17, 1961

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Durer, Rembrandt, and Goya: Old Masters Prints from the Seattle Art Museum Collection", May 31, 2001 - January 1, 2002 (5/31/2001 - 1/1/2002) Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Rembrandt Prints From The Seattle Art Museum's Permanent Collection", 6/3 - 7/25/93 in conjunction with Dutch and Flemish Paintings: The Harold Samuel Collection. (06/03/1993 - 07/25/1993)

Credit LineNorman and Amelia Davis Collection

Dimensions10 3/16 x 8 9/16 in. (25.8 x 21.8 cm)

MediumEtching and drypoint