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A carved Oak Panel depicting Christ and the Woman of Samaria. Probably from a Pulpit. Flanders (possibly Malines) or Northern France, first half of the 17th Century. A very fine quality early Baroque carved panel constructed of 4 joined planks of Oak and then deeply carved in relief. The only applied ornament being that to the outside of the architectural ‘frame’.

The subject of ‘Christ and the Woman of Samaria’ or ‘Christ at the Well’ was popular in Medieval and Renaissance Christian iconography. Taken from The Gospel of St. John (4:4-26). In the course of his discourse, Christ refers to Himself as bringing ‘the Water of Life’. As such it seems likely that this large panel would have been incorporated into a Pulpit from which the Word of God would be preached.

Provenance: This Panel formed part of a Collection which until very recently was preserved at Rheola House, Neath, South Wales. It was hanging in the Entrance Hall in the late 19th Century and may have been purchased by John Edwards Vaughan (1772-1833) on his Tour of Europe in 1817-21 on which he was accompanied in part by his cousin and the architect of his new built house at Rheola, the pre-eminent architect, John Nash.