As
a convert and an ardent follower of Christ, Mary Magdalene was considered one
of the most exemplary and accessible saints, offering hope of transformation
from sinner to saint. Her legend is a conflation of numerous scriptural references
and apocryphal stories. The woman who was purified and pardoned by Christ, "Mary
called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils" (Luke 8:2), came to be identified
with the unnamed woman who anointed Christ’s feet at the feast in the house
of Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:37-50), and with Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha
(Luke 10:38-42). The Magdalene was present at the Crucifixion, and was the first
person to whom Christ appeared after his Resurrection (Mark 16:9). Her legend
was further developed in Jacopo da Voragine’s Golden Legend, a thirteenth-century
compilation of the lives of the saints. There she is described as a former courtesan
who "gave herself wholly to the pleasures of the senses" but who repented her
sins and was forgiven. Georges de La Tour’s The Repentant Magdalene
(c. 1635) shows her in a state of deep contemplation. She is seated in a dark
room, her face lit by the flickering flame of a candle, and her fingers resting
upon a skull. The reflection in the mirror offers another view of the skull,
this time for our contemplation. Behind it is Mary’s attribute, the pot
of ointment with which she anointed Christ’s feet. The candle, skull, and
mirror are all traditional vanitas symbols, reminders of the transience
of life. These objects suggest that Mary is pondering human mortality, and the
eternal life of the spirit made possible through Christ’s sacrifice.
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The Counter-Reformation | The Penitent Sinner | Scenes of Martyrdom
Dreams and Visions | Secular Subjects and Sinners