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Preview image of work. tempera on panel,  St. Mary Magdalen between St. Peter Martyr and St. Catharine of Siena 4999
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1961.100.11

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St. Mary Magdalen between St. Peter Martyr and St. Catharine of Siena

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Artist

Gherardo di Giovanni del Fora (Florence, Italy, ca. 1445 - 1497, Florence, Italy)

Title

St. Mary Magdalen between St. Peter Martyr and St. Catharine of Siena

Creation Date

ca. 1475

Century

15th century

Dimensions

16 3/4 in. x 11 1/4 in. (42.5 cm. x 28.5 cm.)

Object Type

painting

Creation Place

Europe, Italy

Medium and Support

tempera on panel

Credit Line

Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation

Copyright

Public Domain

Accession Number

1961.100.11

This devotional picture by Gherardo del Fora illustrates the cultural transformations that began in Renaissance Italy, from the rise of humanism and an interest in classical antiquity to the increasing influence of the Catholic Church. A talented painter and book illustrator in Florence, Gherardo expresses his understanding of the natural world with realistic perspectives of Mary Magdalene, covered in calf-length hair and flanked by Saints Peter Martyr and Catherine of Siena. In the distant scene visible through a window, an earlier event in Mary’s life unfolds; she is the first to recognize Christ, newly risen following his crucifixion. During the late fifteenth century during Gherardo’s lifetime, new ways of seeing, both literally and figuratively, validated Western Europeans’ global explorations and exploitation of the New World that soon followed.

Keywords: religious visual works