St. Mary Magdalene

Abstract

This statue of Mary Magdalene in penitence (Santa Trinita, Florence) was commissioned from Desiderio da Settignano (better known for his works in marble) by Annalena Malatesta in 1458-9, after her husband and son died, and she entered a convent. The work was finished by Giovanni d'Andrea, a member of Verrocchio's workshop, in 1499. Technical analysis has revealed that the figure was first sculpted nude out of a single willow log, and then the hair that serves as the saint's garment was carved separately and attached to the core. The finished back was covered with cork. The figure is clearly one of many images made in imitation of Donatello's famously bleak version of the subject, but Desiderio could also be seen as correcting his model, by giving his figure a much more pronounced contrapposto, what could be termed an elegant sway. Though shown at the end of her life, when the Magdalene lived in penitence naked in the wilderness, she also holds the ointment pot that recalls an earlier moment, when she anointed Christ's feet. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License