Maddalena penitente
Luca Cambiaso (Moneglia, 1527 - Madrid, 1585)
Luca Cambiaso
(Moneglia, 1527 – Madrid, 1585) circle/follower of
Penitent Mary Magdalene
Oil on canvas
102 x 84 cm.
In frame 123 x 104 cm.
The central figure of the work is a devout Saint Mary Magdalene, recognisable by her simple beauty, her dishevelled clothes – a reminder of her past as a sinner – and her long, loose hair falling over her shoulders.
She is portrayed in a moment of profound contemplation and atonement, with her arms delicately folded across her chest to form a cross, symbolically expressing her desire for total participation in the Passion of Christ.
This gesture, particularly common in the iconography of the saint, symbolises mystical union with the Redeemer’s suffering and total submission to the faith.
We see her in profile, her meditative gaze full of emotion, evoking repentance, directed towards the crucifix, the open book and the skull, the three canonical symbols of her iconography.
She is draped in a soft cloth held by her arms, leaving her shoulders bare; simple yet at the same time characterised by a strong femininity, in 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 defines her figure, in a perfect balance between the sensuality of the sinner and her spiritual asceticism in repentance.
It is not difficult to appreciate the skill of the artist, active in the 17th century; the compositional style and technique suggest that the work is by a skilled follower or a 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 travelled between Genoa, Rome and Emilia, coming into contact with the most significant artistic movements of his time. His painting, as is clearly evident in this work, reflects a multitude of influences; having trained in the Mannerist tradition by following the examples of the greatest artists of the time, he laid the foundations for Genoa’s most prolific artistic period. His subjects also reveal delicate imagery and Venetian colourism.
The flesh tones, touched by a diaphanous luminosity, belong to the mature phase of his work, which also denotes a clear desire to renew his expressive refinement.
From a draughtsman’s perspective, we can discern strong similarities with the famous Penitent Mary Magdalene by Giovanni Francesco Guerrieri (Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio, Fano), which our artist, whilst personalising it, must certainly have had the opportunity to study.
The condition of the painting is good.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The work is sold complete with a gilded frame, a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.
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