St. Mary Magdalene
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Authors
Giovanni della Robbia
Date
Type
image
Language
Keyword
Magdalene , St. Mary Magdalene , Penitent
Alternative Title
Abstract
This partially glazed terracotta sculpture of the penitent Mary Magdalene, today located in the Museo Bandini in Fiesole, is said to date to the middle phase of Giovanni della Robbia's activity. The skin has been left unglazed to give a more realistic sense of the tanned ravaged flesh of the saint who, because of a conflation of different women named Mary, was thought by many in the Renaissance to have been a prostitute before her conversion. This image seems to be one of many versions of Donatello's wooden sculpture of the subject. The small size makes it likely that this was originally an object for domestic devotion. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Description
Museo Bandini, Fiesole
Citation
Cristinia Gnoni Maravelli, ed., Museo Bandini di Fiesole: Guida alla visita del museo e alla scoperta del territorio (Florence: Edizioni Polistampa, 2011), 91-92.