Artwork
Madonna and Child with Mary Magdalene
Madonna and Child with Mary Magdalene is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Titian. It dates from 1565 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents a sacra conversazione, a devotional format in which the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child are joined in a single sacred space by a saint, in this case Mary Magdalene. The Virgin holds the Christ Child while the Magdalene kneels nearby, and the inclusion of an ointment jar identifies her through her traditional attribute, alluding to the anointing of Christ and her role as witness to the Passion and Resurrection.
Together, the three figures embody a meditation on maternal love, redemption, and the communion of saints, with the Magdalene's penitential gaze directing the viewer toward the Child as the source of salvation.
Technique & Style
Attributed to Titian and dated 1565, Madonna and Child with Mary Magdalene is executed in oil paint on canvas, a medium characteristic of the Venetian school.
Attributed to Titian and dated 1565, Madonna and Child with Mary Magdalene is executed in oil paint on canvas, a medium characteristic of the Venetian school. The work measures 98 cm in height by 82 cm in width. Its composition takes the form of a sacra conversazione, a devotional grouping bringing the Virgin, Christ Child, and Mary Magdalene together within a single pictorial field.
Mary Magdalene is identified by her attribute, the ointment jar. The handling reflects the painterly oil technique associated with Venetian practice, while the religious subject and sacra conversazione format align with the broader stylistic conventions of mid-16th-century Italian devotional painting.
History & Provenance
This religious oil painting on canvas, attributed to Titian and dated 1565, measures 98 × 82 cm and exemplifies the Venetian school's sacra conversazione composition, depicting the Virgin, the Christ Child, and Mary Magdalene with an ointment jar. The work is part of the Hermitage Museum's collection, displayed in Hall 221. No specific inventory number or earlier ownership details are provided in the available records.
Context
Titian painted this oil on canvas in 1565, creating a religious image that reflects the compositional sophistication of the Venetian school. The picture adopts the sacra conversazione arrangement, grouping the Virgin, Christ Child, and Mary Magdalene with an ointment jar within a cohesive devotional space. It is part of the Hermitage Museum's collection, displayed in Hall 221, where its 98 × 82 cm dimensions and use of color illustrate its significance within 16th-century Venetian painting.
Overview
Titian's Madonna and Child with Mary Magdalene, an oil painting from approximately 1565, exemplifies the Mannerist style. This religious work by the prominent Venetian Renaissance artist depicts the Virgin Mary with the infant Christ, accompanied by Mary Magdalene. The composition showcases Titian's renowned skill in rendering sacred narratives and is currently housed in the State Hermitage Museum.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Tiziano Vecellio (Italian:; c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( TISH-ən), was an Italian Renaissance painter. The most important artist of Renaissance Venetian…
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