The Civic Museum of Bassano del Grappa preserves two of the five plaster casts made by Antonio Canova for the sculpture of the penitent Magdalene as well as a drawing of the same and the precious terracotta sketch. The saint is represented kneeling on the ground, with her head resting on her chest towards her left shoulder, her arms outstretched and her back arched forward as she begs for her own redemption, her distraught gaze concentrated on the palms of her open hands destined to welcome a cross. . The bent posture and the imploring gesture illustrate the psychological fragility of the character. Next to the woman, a skull recalls the earthly vanity that has reduced her to this compassionate state, from which she now tries to redeem herself through prayer. The plaster cast represents a preparatory model for the marble statue that Canova originally planned to sell to Count Tiberio Roberti of Bassano del Grappa.