Mary Magdalen 1820

Curator: Here we have William Sharp’s “Mary Magdalen,” residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. I find its delicate rendering quite compelling. Editor: Yes, delicate but also… yearning? The upward gaze and clasped hands speak of intense supplication. The process seems painstaking; look at all that hair, meticulously engraved. Curator: Absolutely. Sharp was known for his engravings, and this piece reflects the broader cultural fascination with religious figures and moral narratives during his time. Magdalen, of course, embodying repentance. Editor: And what a loaded figure to represent. One wonders how the image might function, or be consumed by its audience at the time. Was this about religious piety or something else? Curator: Certainly it played into existing tropes, and I imagine shaped perceptions of the Magdalen herself, for better or worse. Editor: This piece certainly makes me think about how art can shape our understanding of historical figures, both through the artist's labor and its consumption. Curator: Indeed. The art object as social actor. A powerful thought.