The penitent Mary Magdalene in the wilderness, holding a cross in her left hand
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Plate: 15 13/16 × 11 9/16 in. (40.2 × 29.4 cm) Sheet: 21 9/16 × 15 11/16 in. (54.8 × 39.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Alice C. Taft, Mrs. Marianna F. Taft, Miss Hope Smith, Mrs. Helen Bradley Head, and Brockholst M. Smith, 1945
Accession Number
45.78.94
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the Drawings and Prints department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, *The Penitent Mary Magdalene in the Wilderness, Holding a Cross in Her Left Hand* (1830–83) captures a timeless biblical figure through the skilled hands of Italian engravers Niccolò Schiavonetti and Luigi Boscolo. Mary Magdalene, often depicted as a repentant saint after her conversion, is shown in a moment of profound solitude and spiritual reflection amid a rugged wilderness. Clad only in her flowing hair—a traditional attribute symbolizing her penitence—she clutches a cross, evoking themes of redemption, humility, and...
About the Artist
Niccolò Schiavonetti|Luigi Boscolo (Italian|Italian) · 1770 |1824 –1813 |1924
Italian, Bassano del Grappa ca. 1771–1813 London|Italian, born Rovigo, 1824