''Mary Magdalen in Ecstasy'' (1606) is a painting by the Italian
baroque artist
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610). What is believed to be the authentic version of the painting was discovered in a private collection in 2014; the painting was previously only known to art historians through a number of copies made by followers of the artist. If the painting is, in fact, authentic, it would be valued at over £20 million ($32.3 million).
It is widely accepted that Caravaggio painted the work in 1606 while in hiding at the estates of the
Colonna family after fleeing
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
following the killing of
Ranuccio Tommason.
Subject
According to a legend popular in Caravaggio's time, after
Christ's death his faithful female disciple
Mary of Magdala
Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and
resurre ...
moved to
southern France, where she lived as a hermit in a cave at
Sainte-Baume
The Sainte-Baume (Provençal dialect, Provençal: ''Massís de la Santa Bauma'' according to classical orthography and ''La Santo Baumo'' according to mistralian orthography) is a mountain ridge spreading between the Departments of France, depart ...
near
Aix-en-Provence. There she was transported seven times a day by angels into the presence of God, "where she heard, with her bodily ears, the delightful harmonies of the celestial choirs." Earlier artists had depicted Mary ascending into the divine presence through multicoloured clouds accompanied by angels; Caravaggio made the supernatural an entirely interior experience, with the Magdalen alone against a featureless dark background, caught in a ray of intense light, her head lolling back and eyes stained with tears. This revolutionary naturalistic interpretation of the legend also allowed him to capture the ambiguous parallel between mystical and erotic love, in Mary's semi-reclining posture and bared shoulder. The painting was immensely influential for future treatment of the theme by artists such as
Rubens and
Simon Vouet
Simon Vouet (; 9 January 1590 – 30 June 1649) was a French painter who studied and rose to prominence in Italy before being summoned by Louis XIII to serve as Premier peintre du Roi in France. He and his studio of artists created religious and ...
(who adopted Carvaggio's earth-bound Magdalen but reintroduced the angels), and of
Bernini's celebrated ''
Ecstasy of St Theresa
The ''Ecstasy of Saint Teresa'' (also known as ''Saint Teresa in Ecstasy'' or the ''Transverberation of Saint Teresa''; it, L'Estasi di Santa Teresa or ) is a sculptural group in white marble set in an elevated aedicule in the Cornaro Chapel of ...
''.
See also
*''
Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy
''Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy'' is a painting by the Italian baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi. It is in the Doge’s Palace in Venice.
Description
A woman is shown in a seated position, with her head leaning back and hands clasped around her k ...
'' by
Artemisia Gentileschi
*
List of paintings by Caravaggio
The following is a list of paintings by the Italian artist Caravaggio, listed chronologically.Spike, John T. ''Caravaggio''. New York : Abbeville Press, 2001: p. 253–54
List of paintings
Footnotes
Further reading
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mary Magdalen In Ecstasy
1606 paintings
Paintings by Caravaggio
Paintings depicting Mary Magdalene