The Temptation of Saint Mary Magdalen
ca. 1626
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
38 7/8 × 49 1/2 in. (98.8 × 125.8 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Walter and Leonore Annenberg Acquisitions Endowment Fund; Gifts of Irma N. Straus and Lionel F. Straus Jr., in memory of his parents, and Bequests of Milena Jurzykowski and Theodore M. Davis, by exchange; Gwynne Andrews and Victor Wilbour Memorial Funds; Charles and Jessie Price Gift, and funds from various donors, 2020
Accession Number
2020.220
Tags
Art Historical Context
Johann Liss's *The Temptation of Saint Magdalen* (ca. 1626), a masterful oil on canvas now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art captures a pivotal moment in the life of penitent saint. Measuring nearly four by five feet, this Baroque painting draws viewers into a dramatic scene featuring Mary Magdalene amid angels and skulls—powerful symbols of temptation, divine guidance, and the fragility of life. Oil on canvas, the medium of choice for 17th-century European masters, allowed Liss to layer rich colors and subtle glazes, creating a luminous interplay of light and shadow that heightens the emotion...