Saint Mary Magdalen in Penitence 1615

Orazio Gentileschi painted Saint Mary Magdalen in Penitence, with oils, sometime in the early 17th century. Images of Mary Magdalen, a reformed prostitute, were extremely popular in Counter-Reformation Italy. Catholic officials promoted the cult of the Magdalen as an exemplar of repentance, and of the Church’s capacity to forgive sinners. Here we see her contemplating mortality, in a cave. She rests her hands on a skull and crucifix, emblems of penitence and salvation. It’s interesting to consider how the social position of women, as either madonnas or whores, influenced the cultural reception of this image. Some might have focused on her repentance, and others on her former life. As art historians, we can research these social dynamics by examining everything from sermons and tracts to poetry and plays, in addition to the other artworks that represented her. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.