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Judith and Holofernes
Narciso
Saint Francis in meditation
La Fornarina
Portrait of Henry VIII
Portrait of Pope Urban VIII Barberini - Painting
Portrait of Stefano IV Colonna
The Triumph of Divine Providence and the fulfillment of its ends under the pontificate of Urban VIII
Square staircase
Helical staircase
Allegory of Divine Wisdom
Portable tabernacle with the Pietà, scenes of saints and martyrs
Baptism of Christ
St. Mary Magdalene
Portrait of Urban VIII
Portrait of Beatrice Cenci
Mystical marriage of Saint Catherine and saints
Stories of the Passion of Christ
Portrait of Abbondio Rezzonico
Annunciation
Portrait of Urban VIII - Sculpture
Madonna with Child (Madonna Hertz)
Deposition of Christ in the tomb
Mystical marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria
The suicide of Cleopatra
Portrait of Cardinal Antonio Barberini

St. Mary Magdalene

Piero di Cosimo

Displayed in:

Barberini Palace

Barberini Palace

Via delle Quattro Fontane, 13 , Rome

Closed now: open at 10:00

Verified profile

Saint Mary Magdalene is recognizable by the profile marked by the halo, her long hair and the jar of ointments. The latter refers to the visit of the Magdalene and the pious women to the tomb on Easter morning: when they arrived at the place to embalm the body of Jesus with perfumed oils, they found the tomb empty, being the first to testify to the Resurrection. The long hair with which the Magdalene is usually depicted derives instead from an erroneous interpretation of the Gospel, which led to confuse the Magdalene with the unknown prostitute who, repenting of the sins committed, wept on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her own hair. In Piero di Cosimo's painting, however, there are elements that go beyond the traditional representation of the saint and instead refer to the artist's contemporaneity: the shape of the dress, the open book and the pose of the woman, in addition to the architecture that frames it. , have direct references to fifteenth-century portraiture. In fact, it cannot be ruled out that the painting was commissioned by or for a woman named Maddalena, who wanted to be portrayed as the saint whose name it bore. Noteworthy is the extremely refined execution of the work, which is striking for the quality of the pictorial surface and the definition of the details. With regard to these aspects, Piero di Cosimo has also shown that he appreciates and fully understands the formal values of Flemish painting.
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Details

Title: St. Mary Magdalene

Author: Piero di Cosimo

Date: 1490-1495

Technique: Tempera on wood

Displayed in: Barberini Palace

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