Titian’s ‘Penitent Magdalene’

Titian and his workshop created at least nine variations of the repentant Mary Magdalene for 16th-century art patrons.

A detail from “The Penitent Magdalene,” 1555–1565, by Titian. Getty Center, Los Angeles. Public Domain

Few biblical stories are better known than that of Mary Magdalene. According to the Roman Catholic interpretation, Mary is the adulteress whom Christ forgives—thus becoming a cultural symbol of atonement.

One of Jesus’s closest followers, Mary played a role in several events narrated in the Gospels. She was also the first to discover Christ’s empty tomb after his resurrection. Legends of Mary’s seclusion developed centuries after her death: Stories said she spent her remaining days as a hermit in prayer and penance. These accounts provided inspiration for religious art—including Italian Renaissance painter Titian (circa 1490–1576).