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Source Description
According to Christian tradition, after meeting Christ, Mary Magdalene repented of her former sinful ways. With her ivory skin and long golden hair, the beautiful Magdalene turns her gaze toward heaven. Her cross and the skull make it clear she is meditating on the brevity of life and the salvation made possible by Christ's death.Reni created an idealized, as well as classical style influenced by ancient sculpture and by the Renaissance artist Raphael (1483-1520). This influence is visible in the Magdalene's rounded, even features, painted so smoothly that the strokes seem to disappear, in contrast with the broad, energetic strokes used for the drapery, more typical of 17th-century painting. Images of female saints sometimes depicted in a seductive manner, were very popular with some artists and patrons in the 17th century, and Reni painted many versions of this composition.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
40183
label
The Penitent Magdalene
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
citationUrl
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
40183
sourceUrl
contentType
drawing
stage
normalized
title
The Penitent Magdalene
description
According to Christian tradition, after meeting Christ, Mary Magdalene repented of her former sinful ways. With her ivory skin and long golden hair, the beautiful Magdalene turns her gaze toward heaven. Her cross and the skull make it clear she is meditating on the brevity of life and the salvation made possible by Christ's death.Reni created an idealized, as well as classical style influenced by ancient sculpture and by the Renaissance artist Raphael (1483-1520). This influence is visible in the Magdalene's rounded, even features, painted so smoothly that the strokes seem to disappear, in contrast with the broad, energetic strokes used for the drapery, more typical of 17th-century painting. Images of female saints sometimes depicted in a seductive manner, were very popular with some artists and patrons in the 17th century, and Reni painted many versions of this composition.
provenance
Cardinal Antonio Barberini [?], Rome, by 1671; Prince Maffeo Barberini [?], after 1672; Cardinal Flavio Chigi, Rome, by 1692; Chigi family, Rome, by descent; Neville; Sale, Christie's, London, March 2, 1804, no. 60; George, 7th Baron Kinnaird (d. 1805), Rossie Priory, Inchture, Scotland, by purchase; Charles, 8th Baron Kinnaird (d. 1826), by descent; Sale, Phillips, London, May 21, 1811, no. 5, unsold; Sale, Sotheby's, London, February 26, 1812, lot 77, unsold; 12th Baron Kinnaird, by descent; Sale, Christie's, London, June 21, 1946, no. 31; Private collection, Netherlands; Sale, B. V. Vendu Notarishuis, Rotterdam, February 26, 1987, no. 75; Piero Corsini, Inc., New York, 1987; Walters Art Museum, 1987, by purchase.
date
ca. 1635 (Baroque)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Painting & Drawing
paintings
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
90.8
height
74.3
dimensionsRaw
H: 35 3/4 x W: 29 1/4 in. (90.8 x 74.3 cm)
Source extras
cul
Italian
med
oil on canvas
creator_ids
1913
collection_ids
BAR
exhibition_ids
2159
2579
13
3016
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
a7cfc2d80a21d668
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
1ebdb83c14b4141b
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no