The Penitent Magdalen

An apprentice to Caravaggio, Cecco was among the first wave of followers and remained close to the master even after his flight from Rome in 1606. Caravaggio’s influence is evident in this portrayal of Mary Magdalene as a penitent, meditating on Christ’s Passion in her solitary mountain retreat near Sainte-Baume in Provence. According to legend, the saint spent thirty years as a hermit, having abandoned her previous life of prostitution. According to the Gospels, she approached Jesus, who was a guest at the house of Simon the Pharisee, to ask forgiveness for her sins. She washed his feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, and anointed them with myrrh, an incident that foreshadowed his death. Cecco’s melancholy saint embraces the crucifix, her eyes overflowing with tears, and through her intensive gaze she commands pictorial space. Her gesture indicates acceptance of suffering to atone for her sins and willingness to follow Jesus. The image tends toward Caravaggesque simplification, using the typical oblique shaft of light, dark ground, strong chiaroscuro contrasts, and subtle chromatic harmonies. The crisp definition of the inanimate objects, such as the delicate glass jar that reflects the light from a studio window, is beautifully contrasted with the saint’s vibrant flesh tones.