The Good Samaritan 1631

Curator: Here we have a stained glass panel attributed to Hans Jegli, titled "The Good Samaritan." Editor: It’s striking how the artist renders the landscape almost like a stage set. The scene feels both intimate and strangely artificial. Curator: Right, and consider the parable's historical weight. Jegli's choice to depict it in stained glass speaks to the Reformation's emphasis on accessible, vernacular religious messaging. This wasn't just decoration; it was theology for the people. Editor: Absolutely. I'm also fascinated by the leading—the way the metal framework physically supports the image, and metaphorically, the story itself. The labor involved, the careful piecing together... It's a craft speaking directly to community values. Curator: And the prominent display of heraldry at the bottom—it reminds us that even in acts of supposed altruism, civic identity, status, and patronage are always at play. Editor: Indeed. The materiality of glass combined with the story's social message creates a powerful, tangible object of faith and community.