The Good Samaritan 1743 - 1763

Pietro Monaco's etching "The Good Samaritan," created between 1743 and 1763, depicts a scene from the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan. This print, currently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, captures the moment a compassionate Samaritan, in a gesture of kindness, attends to an injured man, embodying the parable's message of selflessness and empathy. The composition features a dramatic landscape with a looming rock formation, emphasizing the scene's isolation and the Samaritan's heroic act. Monaco's detailed etching skillfully portrays the figures' expressions, emphasizing their emotional response to the situation.