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| The Penitent Magdalen |
Artist:Georges de La Tour (French, Vic-sur-Seille 1593–1653 Lunéville)
Date:ca. 1640
Medium:Oil on canvas
Dimensions:52 1/2 x 40 1/4 in. (133.4 x 102.2 cm)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1978
Accession Number:1978.517
A sinner, perhaps a courtesan, Mary Magdalen was a witness of Christ who renounced the pleasures of the flesh for a life of penance and contemplation. She is shown with a mirror, symbol of vanity; a skull, emblem of mortality; and a candle that probably stands for her spiritual enlightenment. The style of La Tour, a native of the duchy of Lorraine in eastern France, is much indebted to Caravaggesque painting. The contrast of candlelight and shadow, the pure geometry of form, and the meditative mood characterize the pictures for which he is famous.
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