Rembrandt and pupil — Christ and the Samaritan woman at the well

Abstract

There have long been differences of opinion expressed in the art historical literature concerning the attribution of the New York Christ and the Samaritan woman. While some art historians support Sumowski, who in 1957 declared it to be a work of a pupil,¹ others vigorously defend Rembrandt’s authorship. To date, scarcely any attention has been paid in this discussion to the complex genesis of the work. In the following discussion, the weaknesses of the end result are analyzed while, in the Radiography section, attention is paid to the question of whether and/or to what extent another hand — possibly Rembrandt’s — may have been involved in the origin of the painting. This question is discussed under 2. Comments.