Flemish or Italian school of the 17th century.

Flemish or Italian school of the XVII century.
"Magdalene penitent".
Oil on copper.
It presents faults in the pictorial layer.
Frame of the XIX century.
Measurements: 22 x 27 cm; 31 x 37 x 4 cm (frame).

This devotional painting belongs to the Flemish or Italian school of the XVII century, a period in which the religious painting reached a great emotional intensity and a remarkable technical refinement. Executed in oil on copper, a support highly appreciated at the time for its smooth surface and its ability to enhance the luminosity of color and precision of detail, the work reveals an intimate character, probably conceived for a private setting.

The figure of Mary Magdalene is depicted in a meditative and recollected attitude. The iconographic attributes - the open book, symbol of spiritual reflection, and the skull, emblem of vanitas and renunciation of the worldly - reinforce the penitential reading of the theme. The treatment of the face, delicate and melancholic, together with the softness of the modeling and the restrained carnality, refers both to the Flemish tradition, heir to meticulous naturalism and attention to detail, and to the Italian tradition, especially in its early Baroque aspect influenced by chiaroscuro and emotional charge.

The composition is set against a dark background, from which the figure emerges through a subtle play of light, accentuating the spiritual character of the scene. The warm palette, with earthy, ochre and reddish tones, contributes to create an atmosphere of recollection and silence, characteristic of 17th century baroque painting.