Artwork
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene is an oil painting by the Academic Art artist Lawrence Alma-Tadema. It dates from 1854 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
She appears topless, with exposed breast, areola and nipple, while holding prayer beads and a book that symbolize her penitential devotion.
The work portrays Mary Magdalene as a Penitent Magdalene, a figure of religious conversion and mortification of the flesh. She appears topless, with exposed breast, areola and nipple, while holding prayer beads and a book that symbolize her penitential devotion. Her waist‑length hair, prayerful posture, and the surrounding table, arm and elbow reinforce a contemplative domestic setting.
Rendered in oil on wood in 1854 and measuring 37 × 45 cm, the painting exemplifies academic religious art and was later acquired by the Rijksmuseum, where it remains part of the collection.
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil on a wooden panel, a support typical of Lawrence Alma‑Tadema’s academic practice, as noted in the documentary record. Its dimensions of 37 × 45 cm and the use of oil pigment reflect the material specifications recorded for the work. Stylistically, the composition presents a penitent Magdalene in a modest, half‑length pose, surrounded by traditional symbols such as prayer beads and a book, embodying the religious genre and the disciplined, narrative clarity associated with 19th‑century academic art. These formal qualities are documented in the source material.
History & Provenance
Mary Magdalene is a religious painting by Lawrence Alma-Tadema dated to 1854, executed in oil on a wood support, with recorded dimensions of 37 by 45 centimeters. The work was created in that year as an academic treatment of the Penitent Magdalene subject. In its subsequent ownership history, the painting was held by Dirk Nijland and Mea Verwey before entering the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it is currently held.
No further details of an initial commission, intermediate owners, or acquisition circumstances are documented in the available sources.
Lawrence Alma-Tadema's 1854 painting of Mary Magdalene is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it is documented on Wikidata as part of that institution's holdings. The work, executed in oil on wood, measures 37 cm in height by 45 cm in width. Prior to entering the Rijksmuseum, the painting was owned by Dirk Nijland and Mea Verwey.
The sources do not provide a specific inventory or accession number, nor do they detail any exhibition history for the work.
Overview
This painting, titled Mary Magdalene, is executed on a wooden panel. It presents a female figure in a state of repose, depicted lying on her side with her head gently resting on one hand. The composition conveys a profound sense of quiet and privacy, inviting contemplation of the subject's introspective moment.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema ( AL-mə TAD-ay-mə; born Lourens Alma Tadema, Dutch:; 8 January 1836 – 25 June 1912) was a Dutch painter who later settled in the United Kingdom, becoming the last officially recognised denizen in 1873.
