Ecstasy of Saint Mary Magdalene,

1506

Soon after becoming court painter to Elector Frederick the Wise of Saxony in 1504, Cranach began publishing a large number of religious prints. The legends illustrated in these two early examples provided a pretext for Cranach to include one of his favorite subjects: the sensuous female nude. This scene represents Saint Mary Magdalene, who, after witnessing Christ’s death, spent thirty years fasting and repenting in a cave in southern France. Clothed only by her long hair, she was spiritually sustained by angels who raised her aloft seven times a day to glimpse heaven and listen to celestial music.