Curatorial Notes
Mary Magdalene turns to cast a melancholy glance back at the viewer with the gravity and directness typical of Moretto da Brescia’s approach to religious subjects. This painting has been linked to other tall, slender canvases by the artist depicting Saint John the Evangelist, the Samian Sibyl, and King Solomon, in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan. These works may have been segments of an altarpiece or, more likely, part of a series with a decorative rather than liturgical function. The artist effectively combined characteristics of Italian painting from different regions: the realism of his native Lombardy, Venetian color and atmosphere, and the monumentality of Roman models.
Artwork Identification
Title Mary Magdalene
Title (PT) Maria Madalena
Title (ES) María Magdalena
Artist Moretto da Brescia
Artist Bio Moretto da Brescia (Alessandro Bonvicino; Italian, c. 1492/95–1554)
Date 1540–50
Work Type Painting
Location & Collection
Institution Art Institute of Chicago
Source View Museum Page
License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
