THE MAGDALENE, Roman School, circa 1625

oil on canvas
26 5/8 by 20 1/4 in.; 67.6 by 51.4 cm.

Provenance:
This striking, recently discovered painting presents an enigma. Its style in general is typical of the artists working in Rome in the wake of Caravaggio. More specifically, the painting is very close in quality and style to the known works of Bartolomeo Manfredi (1582-1622) such as that artist?s Triumph of David in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. no. RF 1990-29), where the large eyes, low forehead, broad cheeks and rounded jaw lines of the faces find close analogies in the face of the Magdalene. The many pentimenti in the cloth and in the figure of the Magdalene indicate a very loose compositional technique and one which is often seen in Manfredi?s paintings. In fact the infra-red image of the painting (available online and with the department) is quite exciting and clearly shows the evolution of the figure using quick strokes of a dark paint. This technique, though close to what one would expect of Manfredi?s work, is likely to be just one aspect of the Manfrediana Methodus - essentially what we now would call Caravaggism but which in the 17th century was closely associated with Manfredi?s name. Interestingly there is a delicacy and translucency to the painting of the Magdalene which relates to the work of Nicolas Tournier (1590-1638), particularly to his style during his stay in Rome between 1619 and 1626 when he was directly influenced by Manfredi. Although at present the attribution of the painting is elusive, the work is clearly by a significant painter working in the febrile and creative ambience of Rome in the first decades of the century.