The good Samaritan

Hogarth, William, 1697-1764 · [February 24, 1772]

Scene from Luke 10:30. The Good Samaritan depicts the biblical story with the Samaritan pouring oil and wine into the wound of the injured man, a first century practice that continued until the 16th century. In the foreground Hogarth has added a dog, licking a wound on its leg, presumably sustained during the traveller's attack. In the background we can see the priest, who having ignored the victim at the side of the road, has continued on and now has a man lying prostrate at his feet.