Updated 07 March 2025
On Display Permanent collection
On Display
Mary Magdalene
| Materials and Techniques | oil on canvas |
|---|---|
| Size（cm） | 72.5 x 59 |
| Credit Line | Purchased |
| Standard ref. | Dorival 2048 |
| Category | Paintings |
| Collection Number | P.1975-0006 |
Originally a prostitute, Mary Magdalene was converted by Christ's teachings. She was known to have anointed Christ's body with unguents, and dried his feet with her own hair. She also stayed close by Christ during the Crucifixion. Mary Magdalene was a particularly popular painting theme during the Baroque period. Champaigne depicted the same theme in two other works, one dated 1648 and the other 1657. This work from Champaigne's last years shows the figure of Mary Magdalene in complete profile, with her mouth partially open in prayer as she turns in devoted reverence towards Heaven. The strong sense of the Magdalene's form, which seems to float in relief above the dark surface of Champaigne's typically strict and moderately formed composition, shows the appropriateness of this work by a French court painter working under the strict spirituality of Jansenism. In addition to the Magdalene's symbol, the unguent pot, a Bible and cross are placed in the right foreground, and a particularly realistic landscape is shown in the right background. This work is thought to have been in the collection of Colbert, councilor to Louis XIV. (Source: Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 2009, cat. no.43)
Provenance
Jean-Baptiste Colbert; Auc. Etienne Le Sueur, Paris, 22. 11. 1791 (A. J. Paillet, Catalogue de tableaux des trois écoles, gouaches, dessins et estampes, composant le cabinet de M. Le Sueur, peintre, Paris, 1791, no. 17); Probably auc., Paris, 19. 7. 1802, lot no. 289; Auc. Caillard, Paris, 3. 5. 1830, lot no. 18; Auc. Dowa, Cambrai, 28. 4. 1873, lot no. 5; Heim, London; Purchased by the NMWA, 1976.
Exhibition History
- 1974
- Religious and Biblical Themes in French Baroque Painting, Heim Gallery, London, 29 May 1974 - 30 August 1974, cat. no. 4, repr.
- 1997
- Resonating Love and Life: European Art from National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, The Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Nagaoka, 12 April 1997 - 18 May 1997, cat. no. 4
Bibliography
- 1884
- Bonnaffé, Edmond. Dictionnaire des amateurs français au XVIIe siècle. Paris, Quantin, 1884, p. 349.
- 1976
- Dorival, Bernard. Philippe de Champaigne 1602-1674: la vie, l'œuvre, et le catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre. vol. 2, Paris, Léonce Laget, 1976, pp. 386-387, no. 2048, repr. p. 517, pl. 2048.
- 1977
- Gazette des Beaux-Arts. ser. 6, tome 89, Mar. 1977, "Chronique des Arts", p. 79, no. 347, repr.
- 1977
- Bulletin Annuel du Musée National d’Art Occidental, No. 10 (1975), 1977, Nouvelles acquisitions, par Chisaburoh F. Yamada, pp. 4-5. Nouvelles acquisitions (catalogue). pp. 10-11. repr.
- 1978
- Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1978 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 18, repr.
- 1979
- The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo: Catalogue of paintings. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1979, no. 38, repr.
- 2006
- Masterpieces of The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art; Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2006 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 43, col. repr.
- 2009
- Masterpieces of The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art; Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2009, no. 43, col. repr.
- 2013
- Masterpieces: The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2013 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 55, col. repr.