Follower of Luca Cambiaso, Penitent Mary Magdalene, 1600s, Oil on Canvas

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Description

Luca Cambiaso (Moneglia, 1527 - Madrid, 1585) circle/follower of

Penitent Magdalene

Oil on canvas (102 x 84 cm - Framed … Read more Luca Cambiaso (Moneglia, 1527 - Madrid, 1585) circle/follower of

Penitent Magdalene

Oil on canvas (102 x 84 cm - Framed 123 x 104 cm)
The protagonist of the work is a devout Saint Mary Magdalene, recognizable by her essential beauty, her loose clothing, a reminder of her sinful past, and her long, loose hair flowing over her shoulders.

She is portrayed in a moment of profound contemplation and atonement, her arms delicately folded in front of her chest to form a cross, symbolically expressing the desire for total participation in the Passion of Christ.

This gesture, especially common in the iconography of the saint, symbolizes her mystical union with the suffering of the Redeemer and her total submission to faith.

We see her in profile, her meditative gaze filled with emotion, evoking repentance, directed towards the crucifix, the open book, and the skull, the three canonical symbols of her iconography.

She is wrapped in a drape loosely held by her arms, leaving her shoulders bare. Her simple yet powerful femininity strikes a perfect balance between the sensuality of the sinner and her spiritual asceticism.

She is thus portrayed with the typical ambivalence between the sacred and the profane that characterizes her figure, in a perfect balance between the sensuality of the sinner and her spiritual asceticism in repentance.

It is not difficult to discern the remarkable skill of its artist, active in the 17th century; the compositional typology and style point to a skilled follower or master from the circle of the Genoese painter Luca Cambiaso (Moneglia, 1527 - Madrid, 1585), one of the most fascinating representatives of Italian Mannerism.

Throughout his career, he traveled between Genoa, Rome, and Emilia, coming into contact with the most important artistic movements of his time. His painting, as our work clearly demonstrates, is influenced by a multiplicity of influences; trained in the Mannerist movement, following the examples of the greatest artists of the time, he laid the foundations for Genoa to experience its most fruitful artistic period. His subjects also reveal the delicate imagery and Venetian color scheme.

The flesh tones, touched with a diaphanous luminosity, belong to the mature phase of his work, which also denotes a clear desire to renew his expressive sophistication.

from a drawing perspective, we can see strong similarities with the famous Penitent Mary Magdalene by Giovanni Francesco Guerrieri (Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio, Fano), which our artist, while personalizing, must certainly have studied.

The painting is in good condition.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The work is sold complete with a gold frame, a certificate of authenticity, and a descriptive iconographic sheet. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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