Magdalene In The Desert, Veneto Dalmatian Icon Circa 1500

A disciple of Christ, Mary Magdalene is the first witness to the Passion of Christ and the Resurrection of Jesus. She attends the crucifixion with the other women and in the three synoptic Gospels she also attends the burial. Very often depicted naked, with long, loose hair, to signify her repentance and penance. Mary Magdalene is said to have come from the town of Magdalan, on the western shore of Lake Tiberias. According to Voragine's Golden Legend, Mary Magdalene evangelized Provence before retiring to the cave of Sainte Baume. She is said to have lived there for 33 years and to have been nourished only by roots. An angel brought her Communion every day in the cave where she had retired. She appears here near a cave in a mountain landscape, next to an altar decorated with a cross and vials (allusion to the perfume poured on Christ's feet). The Veneto Dalmatian School: In 1403, Dalmatia (the coastal region of Croatia) was sold by the Kingdom of Naples to the Kingdom of Venice. This created a school of painting called “Veneteo Dalmatian” which had the particularity of having a stylistic gap of about a century compared to current Venetian art. Thus, in our painting, we see a treatment of rocks and plants that evokes the 14th century/early 15th century. The angel giving communion to the saint is treated in the manner of the Quattrocento. However, we notice a simplification in the hands, feet and face that places us rather in the 16th century. It was a provincial school influenced by the styles of Venetian painting, which preserved a local artistic heritage. Condition: vertical cracks, micro shocks, micro scratches; wear on the trees and the face of the angel, wear on the gold background, possible repainting in the dark part of the cave.  At the back, wooden reinforcement (which seems glued) and traces of old worm holes. We have not identified the species, the blue coating obscuring the back.
Dimensions: with frame: 42 x 30 x 4 without frame: 34.5 x 21.8 x 1.3