Conversion of Mary Magdalene 1548 ин Paolo Verones

Wikipedia
The Free Encyclopedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the painting by Guido Cagnacci, see The Repentant Magdalene (Cagnacci).
The Conversion of Mary Magdalene

Artist Paolo Veronese
Year 1545–1548
Medium Oil on canvas
Dimensions 163.5 cm ; 117.5 cm (64.4 in ; 46.3 in)
Location
National Gallery, London
Owner National Gallery, NG931
The Conversion of Mary Magdalene is an oil painting, an early work by the Italian Renaissance artist based in Venice, Paolo Veronese (1528–1588). He was known for his sumptuous paintings with a dramatic and colourful style. Dating from circa 1545–1548, when he was still in his teens, the painting was probably commissioned by a noble patron in Verona.[1] It is now in the National Gallery in London.

The scene that the painting depicts is an event that is not described in the Gospels or the Golden Legend, and reflects the widespread beliefs at the time that, firstly, Mary Magdalene and Martha were sisters, living together, and secondly that Mary Magdalene was the woman mentioned elsewhere in the Gospels who had lived a life of sexual sin, perhaps a prostitute. Today these are seen by most Christians, including the Catholic Church, as three different women, with Mary of Bethany as Martha's sister.

Subject
The subject of the painting has been debated: the general opinion is now that it depicts the conversion of Mary Magdalene, as described in Pietro Aretino's 1535 book L'umanit; di Cristo; this version of the Gospels was widely distributed and read in Northern Italy at this time.[2] In the legend that inspired the painting, Mary went to the temple in Jerusalem where the teachings of Jesus inspired her to convert to a pious life. In the painting she is depicted in dress inappropriate for the religious building, which Veronese used to symbolise her prior sinful life. She is shown on her knees and blushing as she listens to Jesus.[3]

Painting
In this painting, Martha and Mary Magdalene are in the Temple where Jesus is preaching. Mary Magdalene is on her knees beside Christ, turning her face towards him, while Martha is extending her hands towards Christ and Mary Magdalene.[4] Her low-cut dress alludes to her former life of sin, and the necklace slipping from her neck echoes her turn away from a worldly life towards one of spiritual devotion.[3]

The scene, set in the Temple, is very rare, but there is another depiction in the National Gallery, The Conversion of Mary Magdalene by Pedro Campa;a, c. 1562, after a destroyed fresco by Federico Zuccaro in a church in Venice.[5] There is also a study by Paul Delaroche (1797–1856) of about 1835 in the Wallace Collection, London. This was for a set of lunettes in the Church of the Madeleine, Paris which were not executed in the end.[6] The Repentant Magdalene of the early 1660s by the Baroque Italian painter Guido Cagnacci shows a more common version of the subject, set at the home of the two sisters, with Christ not present.

Paolo Veronese was known for his depictions of luxurious settings and love of decorating the most holy and sacred of scenes with people clad in shimmering fur-lined gowns made of silks and brocades, more reminiscent of Venetian high society than humble representations of the subjects. When the Inquisition questioned his choice of representing holy subjects he answered: "We painters take liberties, the same way that poets and lunatics do", thus asserting that his liberty as an artist included being able to choose how to portray his subjects.[1]

The painting has been in the National Gallery in London since 1876, when it was bequeathed from the estate of art collector Wynne Ellis.[3]

See also
Allegory of Virtue and Vice (Veronese)
References
 "The magnificence of Veronese". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
 "Key Facts". The National Gallery. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
 "The Conversion of Mary Magdalene". The National Gallery. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
 "Paolo Veronese". The National Gallery. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
 The Conversion of Mary Magdalene by Pedro Campa;a, National Gallery page
 Wallace Collection, cat P596
Further reading
Rosand, David, Painting in Sixteenth-Century Venice: Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto, 2nd ed 1997, Cambridge UP ISBN 0521565685
vte
Paolo Veronese
Paintings
The Conversion of Mary Magdalene (1545–1548)Bevilacqua-Lazise Altarpiece (1548)Lament over the Dead Christ (c. 1548)Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine (New Haven; c. 1547–1550)Minerva between Geometry and Arithmetic (attributed; 1550)Venus Disarming Cupid (c. 1550)Portrait of Iseppo da Porto and his son Adriano (c. 1555)Annunciation (c. 1556)Portrait of a Gentleman in a Fur (c. 1550–1560)Supper at Emmaus (c. 1559–1560)Portrait of a Young Man Wearing Lynx Fur (1560)Christ Among the Doctors (c. 1560)La Bella Nani (c. 1560)Saint John the Baptist Preaching (c. 1562)Venus and Adonis (Augsburg; 1562)Holy Family with Saint Catherine and Saint John the Baptist (c. 1562–1565)The Wedding at Cana (1563)Petrobelli Altarpiece (c. 1563)Allegory of Virtue and Vice (c. 1565)Allegory of Wisdom and Strength (c. 1565)The Feast in the House of Simon the Pharisee (Turin; c. 1565)The Martyrdom of Saint George (1566)Portrait of Daniele Barbaro (c. 1556–1567)The Family of Darius Before Alexander (1565–1570)Resurrection of the Widow of Nain's Son (1565–1570)Madonna and Child with Saints (c. 1565–1570)The Feast in the House of Simon the Pharisee (Milan; 1570)Venus and Mars (1570s)Portrait of Agostino Barbarigo (1571–1572)Allegory of the Battle of Lepanto (c. 1572)Adoration of the Magi (1573)The Feast in the House of Levi (1573)The Martyrdom of Saint Justina (c. 1570–1575)Bathsheba at Her Bath (1575)Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine (Venice; c. 1575)Judith with the Head of Holofernes (1575–1580)San Giacomo Altarpiece (1577–1580)Annunciation (1578)Assumption of the Virgin (1580)Mars and Venus with Cupid and a Dog (c. 1580)Susannah and the Elders (c. 1580)Venus and Adonis (Madrid; 1580)Cephalus and Procris (c. 1580–1584)Saint Anthony Preaching to the Fish (c. 1580–1585)Baptism of Christ (c. 1580–1588)Lucretia (c. 1585)
Painting series
The Allegory of Love (c. 1570)Duke of Buckingham series (1590s)The Finding of Moses (Dijon, Dresden, Liverpool ;, Lyon, Madrid, Smith collection, Turin ;, Washington)
Related
Antonio Badile (master)Giovanni Francesco Caroto (master)Benedetto Caliari (brother)Gabriele Caliari (son)Carlo Caliari (son)
; attributed to Veronese's studio
Categories: 1554 paintingsPaintings of New Testament subjects by Paolo VeronesePaintings in the National Gallery, LondonPaintings of JesusPaintings of Mary MagdaleneOil paintings on canvas