1485
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Christ Appearing to the Magdalen is a 1485 by Martin Schongauer, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
Mary Magdalene turns, her long hair and robes whipping in the wind. A man in a gardener’s hat stands before her—Christ, just risen from the tomb. Schongauer shows the moment Mary mistakes Jesus for a gardener. The flying drapery makes her shock feel real, like she’s spinning away in surprise. This was one of the first prints to spread the story across Europe. Look up *sfumato*—the soft, smoky way Schongauer blends edges here.
According to the Gospel of John, right after his resurrection, Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene, who had come to anoint his body at his tomb. At first, she mistook Christ for a gardener. When he revealed himself, he said to Magdalene, "Noli me tangere" (Touch me not) and invited her to inform the apostles that he was ascending to his Father. Schongauer conveys the emotion and surprise of the Magdalen by showing her drapery flying behind her in the wind.
The fence shown in this print is called wattle fencing, a type known since antiquity and used primarily to contain livestock during the late Middle Ages.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Martin Schongauer, also known as Martin Schön or Hübsch Martin by his contemporaries, was an Alsatian engraver and painter.
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