HOLY MARY MADELEINE ITALIAN SCHOOL, 15th CENTURY... Lot 32

HOLY MARY MADELEINE ITALIAN SCHOOL, 15th CENTURY oil on panel 96 x 73.5 cm 123.5 x 96.5 cm, with frame restoration to the head In this painting, the figure of Mary Magdalene stands out clearly against a sfumato landscape background. While the shimmering colours of her clothes and her affected posture show the painter's Mannerist orientation, her unusual gestures seem to find their source in the works of Leonardo da Vinci and his workshop. Seated in a three-quarter position, the saint crosses her legs and holds the long crucifix against her shoulder. The composition is a reversal of that of the Saint John the Baptist in the Louvre (fig. 1).