Artwork
Penitent Magdalene
Penitent Magdalene is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Domenico Tintoretto. It dates from 1596 and is held in the collection of the Capitoline Museums.
About this work
Overview
Domenico Tintoretto’s oil on canvas, dated 1596, presents a contemplative figure of Mary Magdalene. The work resides in Rome’s Capitoline Museums, where it is displayed among other religious compositions of the late Renaissance. The painting’s muted palette and intimate setting convey a mood of penitence and introspection.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is a woman with long, curled hair, seated on a simple woven mat. She wears a modest brown garment that drapes over her chest and lap, her hands clasped in prayer. Her upward gaze and solemn expression suggest a moment of spiritual reflection, reinforced by the presence of a skull, cross, open book, bowl, and lemon—traditional symbols of mortality, faith, and repentance.
Technique & Style
Tintoretto employs a restrained chiaroscuro, allowing the dark, rocky backdrop to frame the illuminated figure. The brushwork is smooth in the flesh tones, while the textures of the woven mat and fabric are rendered with finer detail. The composition balances realism with symbolic elements, characteristic of late 16th‑century Venetian religious painting.
History & Provenance
Created in 1596, the painting entered the collection of the Capitoline Museums, where it remains part of the permanent display. Its attribution to Domenico Tintoretto, son of the renowned Jacopo Tintoretto, aligns with the artist’s later period, reflecting his own devotional subjects and the continuation of his family’s workshop tradition.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Domenico Robusti, also known as Domenico Tintoretto, was an Italian painter from Venice. He grew up under the tutelage of his father, the renowned painter Jacopo Tintoretto.
