Maria Magdalena 1721 - 1779

Curator: Here at the Rijksmuseum, we have Jan Punt's engraving, "Maria Magdalena," created sometime between 1721 and 1779. It's a piece that invites reflection. Editor: That's putting it mildly. The first thing that hits you is the absolute vulnerability. The pose, the landscape... it feels less like repentance and more like exhausted resignation. Curator: Let’s consider the composition. Punt has carefully arranged the elements to create a harmonious, almost cyclical flow. Note how Magdalena is reclining, and yet the whole arrangement leads our eyes to the background to the symbols of the crucifix and vessel atop a stone, thus alluding to redemption, not just her suffering. Editor: Mmm, redemption feels…aspirational here. I see her gaze drifting upwards. There is no real passion or suffering to it. More like... hope for the energy to be passionate. It strikes me she's in a really barren landscape too; it would've felt so much sadder against something richer and full of life. The landscape mutes even her. Curator: It is a subdued setting, fitting with the themes of reflection inherent in the Baroque era and with similar interpretations. Think of the broader philosophical currents—the awareness of human frailty against the vastness of nature, it's a familiar sentiment to this epoch. Punt cleverly juxtaposes those themes. Editor: True, you have this religious, historical subject framed like a pastoral landscape… she seems like a Baroque Ophelia, almost. It looks really light in the end too. And in general that touch, in an engraving. It is remarkable, makes you look again. Curator: Indeed. It’s a very delicate approach to religious imagery. And the texture—achieved through careful incisions—adds so much depth and nuance that we might fail to see initially. Jan Punt has really done excellent work. Editor: Yeah, that stillness. This Magdalena hasn’t leapt out of bed, made any bold decisions. She’s still very much at the beginning, and that honesty hits harder than all the theatrical weeping I have seen. Curator: It is those honest representations, perhaps, that gives art the profound effect. It lets us gaze, even in the limited nature of a mere engraving, into our own hearts.