Artwork
Büßende Maria Magdalena
Büßende Maria Magdalena is an unspecified painting by the High Baroque Italian artist Marcantonio Franceschini. It dates from 1702 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work represents the Penitent Magdalene, a conventional subject in Counter-Reformation iconography that emphasizes Mary Magdalene’s repentance and spiritual renewal. Franceschini depicts her kneeling in quiet devotion, her hands clasped in prayer and her gaze lowered, which conveys interior piety and contrition rather than dramatic penance. The subdued palette and restrained gesture align with the period’s emphasis on contemplative religious feeling, underscoring the figure’s role as a model of penitence and devotion.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting on canvas. It depicts a Penitent Magdalene in a moment of penitential contemplation, rendered with the characteristic compositional clarity and emotive realism of late Baroque religious art. The canvas measures 119 cm in height and 96 cm in width, and its surface exhibits the fine brushwork and nuanced chiaroscuro typical of Marcantonio Franceschini's mature period.
The painting's handling of drapery and the subtle modeling of the figure's face convey both spiritual intensity and tactile material presence, while the overall style aligns with the formal conventions of early 18th-century Italian devotional painting.
The artwork is part of the collection at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it is preserved and displayed as a key example of the period's religious iconography.
History & Provenance
The painting is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, where it is part of the institution's holdings of religious art.
The painting Büßende Maria Magdalena was created by the Italian artist Marcantonio Franceschini in 1702. This religious work, depicting the Penitent Magdalene, measures 119 cm in height and 96 cm in width. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it remains located.
No specific details regarding the original commission or the intermediate ownership chain prior to its arrival at the museum are provided in the available records.
The painting is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, where it is part of the institution's holdings of religious art. According to the Wikidata record for the work, its location is listed as the Kunsthistorisches Museum, and the painting is attributed to that museum's collection. No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented in the materials reviewed.
Context
Marcantonio Franceschini's 1702 painting Büßende Maria Magdalena depicts a penitent Mary Magdalene and belongs to the religious genre of Baroque art. Created during the early 18th century, it reflects the devotional trends within Catholic Europe's artistic patronage. The work is housed in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which maintains its collection and provenance as part of its religious art holdings.
Overview
Büßende Maria Magdalena is a 1702 Baroque painting by Marcantonio Franceschini, a prominent Bolognese artist of the High Baroque Italian movement. The work is part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum's collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Marcantonio Franceschini (Italian pronunciation:; 1648 – 24 December 1729) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mostly in his native Bologna. He was the father and teacher of Giacomo Franceschini.
- Maria mit Kind, Johannesknaben und Engeln
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