Artwork
St. Mary Magdalene hunting before her conversion
St. Mary Magdalene hunting before her conversion is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Master of the Legend of the Magdalene. It dates from 1520 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The scene functions as a moral exemplum, representing the potential for salvation even for those deeply immersed in aristocratic leisure and hunting pursuits.
The painting depicts Mary Magdalene engaged in a hunt prior to her religious conversion, illustrating a specific episode from her legendary hagiography. As a work of Early Netherlandish religious art created in 1520, the composition centers on the saint as a woman accompanied by a horse, capturing her life of worldly pleasure before her spiritual transformation. This visual narrative serves to contrast her earlier secular existence with her later role as a penitent, a common theme in religious iconography that emphasizes redemption.
The scene functions as a moral exemplum, representing the potential for salvation even for those deeply immersed in aristocratic leisure and hunting pursuits.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel, a medium typical of Early Netherlandish painting. The support is a prepared panel, allowing the artist to build up thin, translucent glazes that yield the luminous surface and fine detail associated with the Master of the Legend of the Magdalene. Handling reflects the meticulous brushwork and layered glazing characteristic of the movement, with careful modeling of the figure, horse and landscape.
Stylistically, the painting displays the precise realism, vivid coloration and atmospheric depth that define Early Netherlandish religious art of the early sixteenth century.
History & Provenance
Created in 1520, this panel painting was executed by the Master of the Legend of the Magdalene, a figure associated with the Early Netherlandish painting movement. The work depicts Mary Magdalene on horseback during her life before conversion, rendered in oil on panel. While the specific commission details and original ownership chain are not documented in the available records, the painting is currently held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin, where it is displayed at the Bode Museum.
The piece has previously been included in significant historical exhibitions, such as the Exposition des primitifs flamands à Bruges.
St. Mary Magdalene hunting before her conversion is an oil painting on panel measuring 122.9 cm by 76.7 cm, created around 1520 by the Master of the Legend of the Magdalene. The work is housed in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin and is accessioned under the inventory number 2005.123. It was featured in the Exposition des primitifs flamands à Bruges exhibition.
Overview
This painting, created in 1520, is the work of the Master of the Legend of the Magdalene, an anonymous Early Netherlandish artist. It is a representative example of Northern Renaissance art and is currently housed in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Master of the Legend of the Magdalene
The Master of the Legend of the Magdalen (sometimes called the Master of the Magdalen Legend) was an Early Netherlandish painter active from circa 1483 to 1527.
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