Christus en de Samaritaanse vrouw

The engraving depicts the biblical scene from the Gospel of John where Christ offers 'living water' to a woman of Samaria. Christ is seated on the left, gesturing toward the depths of the stone well, while the woman stands opposite him, handling a heavy ceramic vessel and a rope attached to a spiked wooden wheel. In the distance, several disciples are shown approaching through a hilly landscape featuring a castle on a far-off peak.

This work reflects the spiritualist interests of the Haarlem Mannerists, specifically the circle of Dirk Volckertszoon Coornhert, who emphasized internal spiritual enlightenment (the 'living water') over external religious ritual. The spiked pulley and the depth of the well serve as metaphors for the difficult labor of the soul seeking divine wisdom, a common theme in late 16th-century Dutch humanist thought.