Artwork
The Communion of St Mary Magdalene
The Communion of St Mary Magdalene is a drawing by Giovanni Battista Gaulli. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
The work is a red‑chalk drawing titled *The Communion of St Mary Magdalene*. It bears an ink annotation added later, attributing the piece to Pietro Paolini and dating it to 1641. The composition is populated by a cluster of figures whose forms dissolve into swirling, cloud‑like lines that lack distinct boundaries.
Technique & Style
Executed with rapid, sketchy strokes, the drawing relies on the fluidity of red chalk to suggest movement. The lines interlace and overlap, creating a misty atmosphere where faces and bodies merge with the surrounding haze. Soft edges and layered hatching give the surface a sense of depth without precise delineation.
Subject & Meaning
The scene alludes to a mystical communion involving Mary Magdalene, though the figures are rendered ambiguously, emphasizing spiritual transcendence over narrative clarity. The upward‑reaching gestures and floating forms evoke a sense of ascent and divine encounter, aligning with the devotional themes associated with the saint.
History & Provenance
The inscription identifying Pietro Paolini and the year 1641 was added in a later hand, indicating that the drawing’s attribution was recorded after its creation. No further documentation of ownership or exhibition history is provided, leaving the work’s provenance largely uncertain beyond this internal note.
Artist & collection
Artist
Giovanni Battista Gaulli (8 May 1639 – 2 April 1709), also known as Baciccio or Baciccia (Genoese nicknames for Giovanni Battista), was an Italian Baroque painter working in the High Baroque and early Rococo periods.
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