On view
Duane Wilder Gallery
Saint Mary Magdalene,
ca. 1624–25
These works show saints who, in pursuit of salvation, chose lives of solitude and self-deprivation. Saints Mary Magdalene, Francis, and Jerome wear humble robes and gaze at crucifixes; the two men each kneel before an open book, with much of the composition given over to their environment. Rembrandt has represented Francis praying at center while behind him a monk, likely Francis’s disciple Leo, pores over scriptures. Rembrandt’s print employs a rich range of tonality and finish, from the velvety blacks of the tree and crucifix to the few summary marks that depict Leo. Similarly, Guercino’s tight hatching in Mary’s face loosens to sweeping diaphanous pen strokes around her waist. The barely discernible form in her left hand is a skull, a reminder of the transience of this life and the importance of preparing for the next.
Information
ca. 1624–25
Parsons & Sons, London; purchased by Dan Fellows Platt (1873–1937) in 1920; bequeathed to Princeton University Art Museum, 1937.
- Felton Gibbons, Catalogue of Italian Drawings in The Art Museum, Princeton University, (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1977)., Vol. 1: p. 51, no. 139 (illustrated in Vol. 2 under the same catalog number)
- David Stone, Guercino, master draftsman: works from North American collections, (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Art Museum; Bologna, Italy: Nuova Alfa Editoriale, 1991)., p. 118, no. 2; p. 218, no. 98
