Hortus Deliciarum, Jesus und die Samariterin am Jakobsbrunnen

Jesus is shown with a cruciform halo, gesturing toward a woman who holds a small pitcher beside a stylized well. The well features a decorative quatrefoil opening revealing wavy blue water and a winch system with coiled rope. On either side, groups of figures are identified by Latin labels, all rendered in the flat, colorful style of 12th-century Romanesque manuscript illumination.

This image originates from the Hortus Deliciarum, a monumental medieval encyclopedia compiled by the abbess Herrad of Landsberg to provide a synthesis of theological and philosophical knowledge. The 'Living Water' discussed in this biblical encounter became a central metaphor for spiritual illumination and divine wisdom in both Christian mysticism and later alchemical traditions.