The Good Samaritan
Painting on lined canvas • Follower of Rembrandt van Rijn; Dutch or Northern European School
Style & Movement
Dutch Golden Age / Baroque (Rembrandtesque style)
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas; employs chiaroscuro, glazing, and soft impasto in the highlights to emulate the Rembrandtesque atmosphere.
Creation Period
Late 17th Century (c. 1670–1700)
Dimensions & Format
99 cm x 88 cm; Portrait orientation
Subject Description
A narrative scene from the biblical Parable of the Good Samaritan. The composition depicts the wounded traveler being lifted from a white horse at the entrance of an inn. The innkeeper stands in the doorway, while a young groom holds the horse's reins. The lighting is focused on the central figures, contrasting with the dark architectural background and an atmospheric evening sky.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Good; Restored and cleaned condition on a lined canvas.
Estimated Market Value
$10,000 - $15,000 USD
Auction Estimate
£6,000 - £9,000 GBP
Provenance History
Based on the 1633 etching by Rembrandt; likely European private collections. Stylistic kinship to versions in the Lamport House and Wallace Collection suggests a long-standing tradition of copying this specific composition.
Art Historical Significance
Highly significant as a 17th-century contemporary copy after Rembrandt's 1633 etching. Unlike later 18th and 19th-century copies, this version reflects the technical proximity to the Dutch Golden Age, demonstrating the enduring influence of Rembrandt's narrative prints on painters of the following generation.
Notable Features
The composition follows the 1633 etching specifically, maintaining the orientation later reversed in the Wallace Collection version. The handling of the white horse and the specific architectural details of the inn are hallmarks of the 'Rembrandt School' influence.
Condition Issues
Historic lining of the canvas; faint craquelure visible under magnification; evidence of minor surface retouching consistent with cleaning and age.
Conservation Recommendations
Maintain stable humidity (45-55%) and temperature; avoid direct UV light; periodic inspection of the lining for structural integrity.
Collector Notes
Late 17th century oil on lined canvas in restored and cleaned condition The composition is based on an early etching titled the Good Samaritan held at the Metroplitan Musueum accession no. 41.1.53 There are a few other known versions from the 18th century of this work one of which is in the Lamport House collection and is listed as Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) (after) - The Good Samaritan. Two other later versions have appeared at auction since 2000. Christie's Amsterdam 26 Feb, 2008 Lot. 65 and Estimate £ 6-8,000 GBP Bonhams New Bond Street London 25 Sep, 2024 - 02 Oct, 2024 Lot 30. The painting analysed appears likely to be an earlier version based on Rembrandts etching of 1633. There is a variation of of the composition in the Wallace collection acquired by Francis Charles Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of Hertford by 1818; bequeathed to the nation by Lady Wallace, 1897 measuring 68 cm x 57 cm accession no. P203. This has a reversed version with notable variation's . The composition being analysed measures 99 cm x 88 cm The composition