Saint Mary Magdalen Holding a Crucifix; (reverse) The Flagellation

Art Historical Context

This striking double-sided panel by Spinello Aretino, painted around 1395–1400, presents Saint Mary Magdalen on one side holding a crucifix, her flowing robes and golden halo rendered against a luminous gold ground that evokes the divine realm. The reverse depicts the Flagellation of Christ, creating a powerful juxtaposition of penitence and suffering. As a leading Sienese painter of the late fourteenth century, Spinello worked in the graceful, linear style of the International Gothic, blending delicate patterning with expressive narrative detail to heighten devotional impact. Executed in tempera on canvas rather than the more common wood panel, the work was likely intended as a processional banner or altarpiece for a confraternity devoted to the Magdalen. The gold ground and careful attention to musical angels and symbolic attributes reflect the era’s emphasis on spiritual radiance and the veneration of saints as intercessors. Today in the Metropolitan Museum’s European Paintings collection, the painting offers visitors a vivid window into late medieval piety and the artistic transition toward the Renaissance.