Spanish school, Follower of MATEO CEREZO (Burgos, 1637-Madrid, 1666). 18th century.
"Penitent Magdalene".
Oil on canvas.
It preserves its original canvas.
It has a Calos IV style frame, end of the 18th century.
Measurements: 68 x 51 cm; 80 x 60,5 cm (frame).
In this canvas, Mary Magdalene is represented as a penitent in the desert, dressed in a jet tunic, on which the bright tonality of her pearly skin stands out. This characteristic, together with the darkness of the scene and the theatrical gesture of the protagonist, with her right hand on her chest, her left hand pointing to the scriptures and her gaze fixed on the crucifix with her mouth half open, create a scene of restrained, symbolic and intimate emotion. The young woman is depicted next to the Scriptures and the skull. The composition of this work faithfully follows that of the painting executed by Mateo Cerezo in 1661, which is now in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Mateo Cerezo trained in Madrid, where he joined Carreño's workshop. He was in great demand by a varied clientele, particularly for his religious painting, although he also painted in other genres. In this respect, the treatise writer and biographer Palomino stated that he painted "still lifes with such superior excellence that no one else could surpass him", a judgement that is fully corroborated by the works in the Museo Nacional de San Carlos in Mexico, which are signed and dated. On the basis of these, Pérez Sánchez attributed to him the Kitchen Still Life purchased by the Museo del Prado in 1970, a work of evident Flemish influence that has sometimes led him to think of Pereda. The work of this artist from Valladolid has also been identified as an offshoot of Cerezo's work, particularly in his early creations. We know that in 1659 Cerezo was working in Valladolid, where he left somewhat rougher works than those he produced in the following decade. In his works he is a faithful follower of Carreño, with whom he became one of his best collaborators. The master showed him the path he himself later followed, following in the footsteps of Van Dyck and Titian. Mary Magdalene is mentioned in the New Testament as a distinguished disciple of Christ. According to the Gospels, she housed and provided materially for Jesus and his disciples during their stay in Galilee, and was present at the Crucifixion. She was a witness to the Resurrection, as well as the one in charge of transmitting the news to the apostles. She is also identified with the woman who anointed the feet of Jesus with perfumes before his arrival in Jerusalem, so her main iconographic attribute is a knob of essences, like the one shown here. While Eastern Christianity particularly honours Mary Magdalene for her closeness to Jesus, considering her "equal to the apostles", in the West the idea developed, based on her identification with other women in the Gospels, that before meeting Jesus she had engaged in prostitution. Hence the later legend that she spent the rest of her life as a penitent in the desert, mortifying her flesh. She was most often depicted in this way in art, especially in the 17th century, a time when Catholic societies were particularly fascinated by the lives of mystics and saints who lived in solitude in the wilderness, dedicated to prayer and penance. The story of this saint serves as an example of Christ's forgiveness, and conveys the message of the possibility of redemption of the soul through repentance and faith.