Gherardo del Fora, St. Mary Magdalen between St. Peter Martyr and St. Catharine of Siena, ca. 1475, tempera on panel, 16 3/4 in. x 11 1/4 in. ( cm. x cm.), Active in Florence in the second half of the fifteenth century, Gherardo was a painter and book illuminator who benefited from the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici, known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. Gherardo's works reveal a powerful interest in classical antiquity. In this small devotional panel, perhaps commissioned for a Dominican convent, Mary Magdalene is flanked by Peter Martyr (identified by the transparent knife embedded in
Gherardo del Fora, St. Mary Magdalen between St. Peter Martyr and St. Catharine of Siena, ca. 1475, tempera on panel, 16 3/4 in. x 11 1/4 in. ( cm. x cm.), Active in Florence in the second half of the fifteenth century, Gherardo was a painter and book illuminator who benefited from the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici, known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. Gherardo's works reveal a powerful interest in classical antiquity. In this small devotional panel, perhaps commissioned for a Dominican convent, Mary Magdalene is flanked by Peter Martyr (identified by the transparent knife embedded in his head) and Catherine of Siena. The Magdalene is covered only in her calf-length hair, a reference to her years in the wilderness after Christ's death. Seen through a window (a scene-within-a-scene device typical of the artist), an earlier event in Mary's life unfolds, wherein she is the first to recognize Christ, newly risen following his crucifiction. 'Noli Me Tangere,' or 'touch me not,' he instructed, as she sought to embrace him.
Size: 3882px × 5768px
Photo credit: © Artokoloro / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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