Staande Maria Magdalena 1491 - 1559

Garofalo rendered this standing Mary Magdalene in a reddish chalk. The Magdalene's attribute, the ointment jar, connects her to the act of anointing Jesus, an intimate gesture of love and devotion. Consider the jar she carries; it is not merely an object but a vessel of transformation. This emblem resonates across centuries, echoing in early Christian art where containers held relics, and in pagan rites where unguents evoked divine presence. Think of similar vessels in ancient Greece, holding not ointment, but libations to the gods – a shared human impulse to commune through ritual. The Magdalene, often depicted with flowing hair and bare feet, embodies both penitence and sensuality. The bare feet have a potent symbolism. They root her to the earth, yet also suggest vulnerability, aligning with the pathos formula—an invitation for viewers to emotionally connect with her spiritual journey on a visceral, subconscious level. From antiquity, the Magdalene's symbols have evolved, resurfacing through time and culture, each time imbued with the ever-shifting complexities of human experience and collective memory.