Rhône Valley, End Of The 16th Century - Mary Magdalene Penitent

Mary Magdalene Penitent, late 16th century
Figure in carved monoxyl walnut, rough back, traces of polychromy and gilding
H.: 92 cm (36 1/4 in.)
Mary Magdalene is represented on her knees, with her head raised, and clasping her foot of the cross of his two arms; a skull resting on a tibia recalls the name of Calvary, Golgotha, that is to say “place of the skull”.

The character of Mary Magdalene has always inspired artists and is one of the most appreciated sacred images of Italian and Spanish art, a saint with often contrasting faces, whose figurative fortune testifies to the great growth exercised since Antiquity in the collective imagination.

Often, the iconography of Mary Magdalene presents her as a long-haired penitent, depicted praying holding the cross, with a skull next to her, as is the case with our sculpture. It is likely that it was originally part of an altarpiece presenting a scene of the Crucifixion.