ALONSO CANO (1601 / 1667) "Christ and the Samaritan Woman" a. 1645-1650

This exquisite painting is a version of the well-known canvas by Cano which, with the same theme, has been kept in the rooms of the Museo de la Real Academia de San Fernando since the 19th century. There are a number of differences between this work and the one now in the Academy, the main ones being its format and the fact that Cano focused mainly on the study of the figures and attached less importance to the depiction of the background landscape surrounding the figures. This canvas seems to be the modellino, i.e. the sketch for a painting which, published some years ago, was in a private collection in Barcelona. It could be a prototype from which other versions were made and which may have been intended for the decoration of an altarpiece. Attached is a study of the work by José María Quesada Valera, director of the Instituto de Estudios Histórico-Artísticos. . Oil on canvas..38,5 x 32, 5 cm.