Saint Mary Magdalene
Artist: Francesco d'Ubertino di Bartolomeo Verdi known as Bachiacca (Italian, 1494-1557)
Date: ca. 1525-1530
Medium: Oil on wood
Collection: Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy
Description
Magdalene is presented half-length and three-quarter-length, her gaze turned towards the viewer as she displays an onyx vase, an attribute often associated with her with reference to the Gospel passage (Luke 7:38) where the woman, after washing Jesus' feet with her tears, anoints them with perfumed oil. The red damask robe, contrasting with the acid green of the background, is cut at the elbow to reveal the white camisole, while the collar and sleeves are trimmed in lynx skin. The gold chain and the jewel pinned on the head complete the saint's elegant outfit, presented in the style typical of private portraiture of the early sixteenth century (a half-length cut that includes the hands, close-up perspective, fashionable clothing). This choice has led some scholars to believe that the effigy of a noblewoman, as yet unidentified, is concealed beneath Magdalene's guise.
