Artwork
Penitent Magdalene
Penitent Magdalene is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Jusepe de Ribera. It dates from 1635 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The pairing of the saint with this emblematic object reinforces the painting's religious genre and its call to the viewer toward moral self-examination.
The painting depicts Mary Magdalene as a penitent, a devotional subject rooted in the tradition of the contemplative saint who withdrew from worldly life to contemplate spiritual matters. Ribera's composition centers on the Magdalene figure as the main subject, presenting her in an act of penitential reflection.
The iconography is anchored by the inclusion of a skull, a standard attribute of the Penitent Magdalene that functions as a memento mori, prompting meditation on mortality, the transience of earthly beauty, and the need for spiritual repentance. The pairing of the saint with this emblematic object reinforces the painting's religious genre and its call to the viewer toward moral self-examination.
Together, the figure of Mary Magdalene and the skull communicate the painting's central meaning: a meditation on sin, mortality, and the possibility of redemption through penitence.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil paint on canvas, this work by Jusepe de Ribera measures 97 cm in height and 66 cm in width. The composition focuses on the religious subject of the Penitent Magdalene, depicted alongside a skull as a symbol of mortality. Created during the mid-1630s, the painting utilizes the artist's characteristic handling of light and shadow to emphasize the figure's emotional state and the texture of her surroundings.
The work remains part of the collection at the Museo del Prado in Madrid, having previously been owned by Ferdinand VII of Spain.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1635 by Jusepe de Ribera as an oil on canvas work depicting Mary Magdalene in a penitent pose. Its earliest documented ownership traces to Ferdinand VII of Spain, who held the piece before it entered the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid, where it remains today.
The composition shows the Magdalene with a skull, rendered in oil paint and canvas, and reflects Ribera's characteristic religious realism. The work's dimensions are 97 cm in height and 66 cm in width, consistent with the artist's output of the 1630s.
Scholarly assessment places its execution in the mid-1630s, aligning with the documented creation period recorded in archival sources.
Penitent Magdalene by Jusepe de Ribera is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid, housed within the Royal Palace of Madrid. The work was formerly owned by Ferdinand VII of Spain before entering the museum's holdings. The painting, executed in oil on canvas, was completed in 1635 and depicts the Penitent Magdalene alongside a skull as a symbol of mortality.
No specific exhibition history beyond its current placement at the Prado is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Jusepe de Ribera’s Penitent Magdalene (1635) is an oil painting that belongs to the early Italian Baroque period. Executed while the Spanish artist was based in Naples, the work is now part of the Museo del Prado’s collection.
Context
The work reflects the Baroque fascination with religious subjects rendered in a realistic, emotionally charged manner. By depicting Magdalene in a moment of private penance, Ribera aligns with Counter‑Reformation ideals that encouraged personal meditation on sin and redemption.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jusepe de Ribera (Valencian:; baptised 17 February 1591 – 3 November 1652) was a Spanish painter and printmaker.
