01 Painting Interpretation of the bible, Giovanni Antonio Bazzi's The Penitent Magdalene, with Footnotes #182

Giovanni Antonio Bazzi (VERCELLI 1477-1549 SIENA)

The Penitent Magdalene

Oil on canvas

34 1⁄4 x 28 5⁄8 in. (87 x 72.7 cm.)

Private collection

Sold for USD 226,800 in un 2022

A sinner, perhaps a courtesan, Mary Magdalen was a witness of Christ who renounced the pleasures of the flesh for a life of penance and contemplation. Penitent Magdalene or Penitent Magdalen refers to a post-biblical period in the life of Mary Magdalene, according to medieval legend. 

According to the tenets of the 17th–century Catholic church, Mary Magdalene was an example of the repentant sinner and consequently a symbol of the Sacrament of Penance. According to legend, Mary led a dissolute life until her sister Martha persuaded her to listen to Jesus Christ. She became one of Christ's most devoted followers and he absolved her of her former sins. More on The Penitent Magdalen 

Penitent Magdalen refers to a post-biblical period in the life of Mary Magdalen.

The sacrament of Penance had important significance in Counter-Reformation spirituality, and artists frequently portrayed penitent saints as exemplars of religious fervor. Such works were meant to inspire a greater devotion. On the other hand, the popularity of The Magdalene as a subject is also associated with her implied sexuality. Her passive gaze and partially naked body appealed to male viewers, for whom such paintings offered a moralizing context through which to engage with the sensuality of the female form. The Penitent Magdalene

Il Sodoma, byname of Giovanni Antonio Bazzi, (born 1477, Vercelli, duchy of Savoy [Italy]—died Feb. 14/15, 1549, Siena, republic of Siena), Italian painter whose works reflect the transition from High Renaissance to Mannerist style.

Sodoma, was from Vercelli in northern Italy but worked in and near Siena. He was influenced by Leonardo in Milan, and Pintoricchio in Siena. He worked in Rome for Pope Julius II, but was soon displaced by Raphael, whose High Renaissance style he then absorbed. He spent the rest of his life in Siena. His art has a slightly provincial but vigorous air. More on Il Sodoma

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