Follower of Domenico Zampieri, called Il Domenichino, Italian 1581-1641- The Conversion of Mary Magdalene; oil on canvas, 92 x 73.2 cm. Provenance: Private Collection, UK. Note: Presented as an intimate toilette scene, in which a magnificently...

Follower of Domenico Zampieri, called Il Domenichino,

Italian 1581-1641-

The Conversion of Mary Magdalene;

oil on canvas, 92 x 73.2 cm. (unframed)

Provenance: Private Collection, UK.

Note: Presented as an intimate toilette scene, in which a magnificently dressed Mary removes her jewellery, this allegory has both moral and apologetic purposes in line with the Counter Reformation. The painting records the first steps of Mary Magdalene towards her religious conversion, to renounce worldly belongings and ephemeral pleasures, thereby taking off her precious jewelled pieces, in favour of a frugal and contemplative way of life in the desert. The Magdalene remained one of the most popular saints after the Reformation, a reformed sinner with whom it was easy to identify. Domenichino’s treatment of the subject, painted in c.1625, is housed in the National Gallery of Ireland [NGI.4646]. As well as recalling Domenichino’s work, the present work further suggests the influences of Guido Reni (1575-1641), Guercino (1591-1666), Carlo Maratta (1625-1713) and Girolamo Troppa (1637-1733).
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