Mary Magdalene, Painting depicts the extra-biblical scene of the Pertinent Mary Magdalene. The post-canonical story tells of the fate of Mary Magdalene after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in which she became a hermit, living in the desert, alone, abandoning all earthly possessions to live the next 30 years in prayer and penitence. The legend holds that her clothes slowly disintegrated over time, leaving only her long hair as her coverings, she was fed everyday only by the singing angels who visited her. Here, however, it appears Titian, in an effort to avoid the typical eroticism of the image chose to clothe Mary Magdalene. She sits in a cave, with only a skull (vanitas) and an open bible, she clutches her garment to her chest while casting her above as she prays., 1565

Item — Box: 216

Identifier: spc-mss0088-s21-i0642

Mary Magdalene, Painting depicts the extra-biblical scene of the Pertinent Mary Magdalene. The post-canonical story tells of the fate of Mary Magdalene after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in which she became a hermit, living in the desert, alone, abandoning all earthly possessions to live the next 30 years in prayer and penitence. The legend holds that her clothes slowly disintegrated over time, leaving only her long hair as her coverings, she was fed everyday only by the singing angels who visited her. Here, however, it appears Titian, in an effort to avoid the typical eroticism of the image chose to clothe Mary Magdalene. She sits in a cave, with only a skull (vanitas) and an open bible, she clutches her garment to her chest while casting her above as she prays.

Go to file

Scope and Contents

Vanderbilt photo identifier: SC.MSS.088.TITI.0622; Public Notes:

Dates

Creation: 1565

Creator

Titian (alternatively: Tiziano Vecellio) (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection may be viewed only in the reading room of Special Collections in the Jean and Alexander Heard Library. Collections should be requested 2-3 days prior to visiting in order to facilitate easier access. For questions or to request a collection, contact specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu.

Biographical / Historical

Subjects: Paintings; Religious Subjects; Saints and Martyrs; Religious Scenes; Biblical Figures; Saint Attributes; Mary Magdalene; Vanitas; Books; School: Venice; Style period: High Renaissance to Mannerism; Technique: painting (technique); Work type: paintings