Artwork
Saint Mary Magdalen
Saint Mary Magdalen is a tempera painting by the Byzantine icon painting artist Ugolino di Nerio. It dates from 1320 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1320, this tempera panel portrays Saint Mary Magdalene. The work originates from the hand of Ugolino di Nerio, an early 14th‑century painter who worked in both Siena and Florence. It is presently part of the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Subject & Meaning
The figure is a contemplative Mary Magdalene, shown with a solemn gaze directed downward. She wears a deep red robe and hood, her hands clasped in prayer, embodying the penitential devotion traditionally associated with the saint.
Technique & Style
Executed in egg tempera on a gold ground, the painting follows the Byzantine iconographic mode common in Sienese art. The artist employs smooth, linear modeling for the pale face, while the vivid yet restrained palette highlights the red garment against the flat gold background.
History & Provenance
Ugolino, a follower of Duccio di Buoninsegna, helped transmit Sienese stylistic traits to Florence through commissions for Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce. The panel eventually entered the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it remains on display.
Context
The work reflects the early Trecento period’s synthesis of Byzantine conventions with emerging Italian naturalism. Its emphasis on gold background and stylized features aligns with the devotional imagery produced for churches and private chapels in Siena and Florence.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ugolino di Nerio (1280? – 1349) was an Italian painter active in his native city of Siena and in Florence between the years 1317 and 1327. He was a follower of Duccio di Buoninsegna, from whose Maestà some of his…
