St. Mary Magdalen Trampling Her Valuables
17th–18th century
Medium
Engraving; reverse copy
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 11 7/8 × 8 11/16 in. (30.2 × 22.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.7172
Tags
Art Historical Context
This engraving captures the dramatic moment of Saint Mary Magdalene renouncing her former life of luxury. The saint is shown trampling jewels, fine fabrics, and other valuables beneath her feet, a powerful symbol of spiritual conversion and rejection of worldly pleasures. Created as a reverse copy after a design associated with Peter Paul Rubens, the print reflects the dynamic Baroque style of early 17th-century Antwerp, where dramatic religious imagery flourished. Lucas Vorsterman I, a skilled engraver who collaborated closely with Rubens, helped translate the master’s vivid compositions int...