11 Works, Today, May 25th. is Carlo Dolci’s day, his story, illustrated with footnotes #143
The Penitent Magdalene
Oil on copper
20.3 x 26 cm.; 8 x 10 1/4 in
Private collection
In this intimate copper, destined for private devotion, we find the Magdalene repenting in the wilderness, her alluring nakedness reminding us of her unchaste past. Her breasts are exposed and the blue folds of her robes reveal her leg up to the thigh in a scene that, for all its allusion to the vanity of life and repentance, must, surely, have also been a celebration of the female form. More on this painting
Carlo (or Carlino) Dolci (25 May 1616–17 January 1686) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Florence, known for highly finished religious pictures, often repeated in many versions.
As a boy and throughout his life, he was called “Carlino” (little Carlo), possibly because of his short stature and humble character. He was also extremely pious. If not diligently practicing drawing or developing his painter’s craft, he often could be found praying in Santa Maria Novella…