Magdalene in Ecstasy, between 1500 and 1550 (oil on wood)

Madeleine in ecstasy (Main title) Gianpetrino A figure of repentance, Mary Magdalene prays, her eyes focused on the apparition of a luminous angel wearing a crown of thorns. From the Renaissance onwards, penitent, repentant or ecstatic "Magdalens" were a favorite subject for artists. Leonardo da Vinci's image of the saint is ambivalent between spiritual ecstasy, conveyed by the young woman's inspired gaze, and sensual ecstasy, expressed by her nudity and long hair. Gianpetrino, a so-called Leonardo painter, not only looked at the master's painting ("Mary Magdalene", Switzerland, Private Collection), but also at Titian's "Penitent Magdalene" (Florence, Palatine Gallery), whose motif of long, wavy blond hair envelops Magdalene's body.Gianpetrino treated the theme of the "Magdalene in ecstasy" on numerous occasions, modifying from one version to the next the environment in which she takes her place and the direction in which she prays, girdling her or not with a halo. Inventory number: PPP2572