- The Repentant Magdalen
- The Penitent Magdalen
Frame: 56 7/8 × 46 5/8 × 2 3/8 in. (144.5 × 118.4 × 6 cm)
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Mary Magdalene is one of the principal repentant saints in Christian art. Here, she is shown with her attributes—crucifix, skull, scripture, and ointment jar—raising her tear-filled eyes toward heaven.
Philippe de Champaigne's religious paintings were influenced by his adherence to Jansenism, a French Catholic sect of great austerity, in the latter 1640s. Made for a Parisian convent, The Repentant Magdalen depicts the saint at the entrance to a cave, a setting derived from the medieval legend that later in life she lived in retreat in a grotto at Sainte-Baume in France. The crisp lines and icy colors contribute to this painting's tone of pious sobriety.
ProvenancePossibly in the convent of Saint-Sacrement du Marais, Paris; possibly seized during the Revolution, placed in the Musée des Petits Augustins, 1795; possibly entrusted to Naigeon by Alexandre Le Noir, January 2, 1798; possibly Colbert (1625-1683), Paris; Richard Williams, Esq. at Rutland Gate, London, by 1862; [Christie's, London, Williams Collection sale, May 10, 1862, no. 54, as "Guido"]; Wing-Commander John Scott-Taggart, by 1956; [Sotheby's, London, Taggart sale, July 4, 1956, no. 124]; [David M. Koetser Gallery, Zurich, 1956–1970]; purchased by MFAH, 1970.
Exhibition HistoryTooth Galleries, London, 1951; Musee de l'Orangerie, Paris, 1952.
"French Painting of the 17th Century in American Collections," Palais du Louvre, Paris, January 29–April 26, 1982; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, May 22–August 22, 1982; Art Institute of Chicago, September 18–November 28, 1982.
"Collecting: A Texas Phenomenon," Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, November 21–December 24, 1986.
"Philippe de Champaigne et Port-Royal," Musée National des Granges de Port-Royal, Magny-les-Hameaux, France, April 29–August 28, 1995.
"1998 International Fine Art Fair: In the Company of Women: Selections from The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," The Seventh Regiment Armory, New York, May 6–13, 1998.
“Masterpieces of European Painting from the 15th to 20th Centuries from The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation," The Museum of Art, Ehime, Matsuyama, Japan, April 13–May 30, 1999; Chiba Prefectural Art Museum, Japan, June 5–July 11, 1999; Mie Prefectural Art Museum, Tsu, Japan, July 17–August 22, 1999; Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan, August 27–October 3, 1999.
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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