Description
Simon Vouet worked in Rome for several years before he was summoned back to France in 1627 to serve as court painter to King Louis XIII. This painting, executed soon after his return, reveals how skillfully Vouet adapted his Italian experiences to local tastes: the focus on a single monumental figure, positioned close to the picture plane, reflects the influence of Caravaggio, but the vivid pastel colors accord with the French preference for a brighter palette. Representations of the penitent Magdalene as a hermit—expressing Christian devotion but also sensuality—were exceedingly popular in the 1600s.
Provenance
Marquis Laurent de Migieu (Paris, France), by descent to Vicomte René de Vaulchier (by 1769); Vicomte René de Vaulchier, Chateau de Savigny-les-Beaune, Cote d'Or (by 1951); Sale: Guy Loudmer, Palais d'Orsay, Paris, June 6, 1978, no. 30 (June 6, 1978); Sale: Guy Loudmer, Hotel Drouot, Paris, December 14, 1987, no. 24 (December 14, 1987); Matthiesen Fine Art (London, England), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art (1987-1988); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1988-)
Accession Number
1988.108
Medium
oil on panel
Dimensions
Framed: 159 x 132 x 13 cm (62 5/8 x 51 15/16 x 5 1/8 in.); Unframed: 130.8 x 103.5 cm (51 1/2 x 40 3/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
![Saint Bernard and Saint Catherine of Alexandria with the Virgin of the Annunciation [right panel]](https://api.nga.gov/iiif/e6890364-4d99-4684-a62b-5060ee3c3446/full/400,/0/default.jpg)