Saint Mary Magdalene Preaching

Gallery 317, European Art 1100-1500, third floor

Main Building

Saint Mary Magdalene Preaching

c. 1500-1520

Master of the Magdalene Legend (Netherlandish (active Brussels), active c. 1480–c. 1520)

This panel, originally part of a larger, winged altarpiece, presents three separate episodes from the life of Mary Magdalene. After the Crucifixion of Christ, the Magdalene went to the South of France. In the foreground, she preaches to the pagan population of Marseilles. In the upper left, a ship arrives at an island where a baby plays and his mother lies in a cave, a scene that refers to a miracle in which the Magdalene saved a shipwrecked mother and child. In the upper right of the painting, a monk is startled by a vision of the Magdalene being borne to heaven. The vision is missing because the panel has been cut, leaving only a few rays of light.

Gallery 317, European Art 1100-1500, third floor

Object Details

Title:

Saint Mary Magdalene Preaching

Date:

c. 1500-1520

Artist:

Master of the Magdalene Legend (Netherlandish (active Brussels), active c. 1480–c. 1520)

Medium:

Oil on panel

Dimensions:

48 3/8 x 30 3/16 inches (122.9 x 76.7 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

John G. Johnson Collection, 1917

Accession Number:

Cat. 402

Geography:

Made in Netherlands (historical name, 15th-16th century), Europe

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Gallery 317, European Art 1100-1500, third floor

Main Building

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