Spanish school; second half of the 17th century.

Spanish school; second half of the seventeenth century.
"Magdalene penitent".
Oil on canvas.
Presents restorations and faults.
Measurements: 145 x 109 cm.
Devotional image in which the author represents Mary Magdalene in profile to the spectator, kneeling before a crucifix and concentrated in meditative attitude. 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 of 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 Jesus' feet with perfumes before his arrival in Jerusalem, so her main iconographic attribute is a knob of essences. While Eastern Christianity honors especially Mary Magdalene for her closeness to Jesus, considering her "equal to the apostles", in the West it was developed, based on her identification with other women in the Gospels, the idea that before meeting Jesus she had dedicated herself to prostitution, and hence the later legend that narrates her penance in the desert. While Eastern Christianity especially honors 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 dedicated herself to prostitution. Hence the later legend narrates that she spent the rest of her life as a penitent in the desert, mortifying her flesh.