Saint Mary Magdalen

Cleveland Museum of Art

Saint Mary Magdalen

Simon VouetLinkedCulture matchlcp-38c17be1eb99

Date
c. 1630
Medium
oil on panel
Culture
France, 17th century
Department
European Painting and Sculpture
Institution
Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID
153927

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

Simon Vouet worked in Rome for several years before he was summoned back to France in 1627 to serve as court painter to King Louis XIII. This painting, executed soon after his return, reveals how skillfully Vouet adapted his Italian experiences to local tastes: the focus on a single monumental figure, positioned close to the picture plane, reflects the influence of Caravaggio, but the vivid pastel colors accord with the French preference for a brighter palette. Representations of the penitent Magdalene as a hermit—expressing Christian devotion but also sensuality—were exceedingly popular in the 1600s. The skull beside Mary symbolizes the fleeting nature of life and ultimate worthlessness of material possessions.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Provenance
by 1769: Marquis Laurent de Migieu (Paris, France), by descent to Vicomte René de Vaulchier. | by 1951: Vicomte René de Vaulchier, Chateau de Savigny-les-Beaune, Cote d'Or. | June 6, 1978: Sale: Guy Loudmer, Palais d'Orsay, Paris, June 6, 1978, no. 30. | December 14, 1987: Sale: Guy Loudmer, Hotel Drouot, Paris, December 14, 1987, no. 24. | 1987–1988: Matthiesen Fine Art (London, England), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art. | 1988–present: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH.

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