Cagnacci’s Repentant Magdalene

Small exhibition at the National Gallery looking in detail at a painting of the Magdalene by Cagnacci on loan from the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena.

This artist is best known for painting seductive half-length female nudes often in the guise of a mythical figures and this picture has an element of that in that the central figure of the Magdalene was quite sensual. She is shown at the moment on repentance having thrown off her find clothes and dropped her jewellery box and lying on the floor being comforted by her sister Martha. A figure of virtue in the form of an angel chases off a figure of vice as a devil in the background. This moment isn’t mentioned in the bible but was being discussed by theologians in the 16th and 17th centuries.

I loved the way her clothes were lying on the floor in a heap and the detail in which her jewellery was shown. Looking at it is a great way of studying the accessories of the time, saying which I want her lovely blue and gold shoes with pearls on!

The commentaries around the picture about the artist and the iconography were excellent and made you look at the picture again and think about what is was showing you. I do enjoy these small shows the gallery does around one picture, outlining the latest research and often focusing on a less well known artist. 

Closes on 21 May 2017

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