Caravaggio – Penitent Magdalene

Penitent Magdalene is an early painting by Caravaggio, made around 1594–1595: a young woman with long, loose auburn hair sits on a low chair in an empty room, head bowed and hands folded in her lap, while beside her on the floor lie a string of pearls, jewellery and a glass carafe of oil. The original, oil on canvas, measures 122.5 cm in height and 98.5 cm in width and hangs in the Galleria Doria Pamphilj in Rome. Our painter paints it for you by hand in oil on canvas in 8 portrait sizes, from 40 x 49 to 164 x 200 cm, or to your own measurement, and you see the finished painting in a photograph before dispatch.

Penitent Magdalene – Caravaggio

What does Penitent Magdalene show?

There is no landscape and no crowd on the canvas, only the corner of a bare room. The young woman sits low, almost on the floor, her head tilted to one side and her hands resting in her lap. Her long, loose hair, a warm auburn, hides part of her face.

She wears a white blouse, a brocade bodice with a red bow and a wide golden-orange skirt, with patterned damask showing beneath it. On the floor beside her lie a string of pearls, more jewellery and a glass carafe filled about three-quarters of the way with oil.

A diagonal band of light falls on the wall above her; the rest of the room is dark and still. Wikipedia points to a detail that is easy to miss: a single tear runs down her cheek. You only find it when you step closer.

What does the scene mean?

Here Mary Magdalene turns away from her former life. Caravaggio does not paint the act itself but the moment after the decision: the valuables she used to wear have been laid down on the floor. Those discarded pearls and jewels are exactly what she is leaving behind.

Almost all of the story is told through her posture. The bowed head, the quiet hands and the tear are enough, with no angels, no inscription and no eyes raised to heaven. That is why the painting reads clearly even for someone who does not know the story in detail.

Why is the painting so well known?

Because Caravaggio dressed the Magdalene in the clothes of his own day and sat her down in an ordinary room. He gave her neither nudity nor the languid sensuality with which the subject was usually painted. His contemporaries complained that she looked like an ordinary girl at home.

The 17th-century biographer Giovanni Pietro Bellori thought the painter had simply added the jar and the jewels to an everyday scene. The Jesuit poet Giuseppe Silos, on the other hand, praised it in 1673 for showing the remorse hidden in her conscience.

It may even be the first religious painting Caravaggio ever made, and her pose later influenced the Magdalenes of the French painter Georges de La Tour. You can read more in the Wikipedia article (in English).

Where does the original Penitent Magdalene hang?

The original is in Rome, in the collection of the Galleria Doria Pamphilj. It is dated around 1594–1595 and probably comes from the painter’s first years in Rome, before the great church commissions made him famous.

Caravaggio painted directly from the live model, and here you can see it: the face, the hands and the folds of cloth are observed rather than flattered. Who sat for him is only speculation, so we name no one.

Penitent Magdalene or another Caravaggio?

This is a quiet canvas painting without violence, at home in a bedroom, a reading corner or a hallway where people like to pause. If a young figure lost in thought appeals to you, look at Narcissus too, where a youth leans over the water.

For a bigger wall and several figures there are The Calling of Saint Matthew and The Entombment of Christ, and for the instant a life turns around, The Conversion of Saint Paul.

All the famous Caravaggio paintings we paint to order are gathered on the Caravaggio page. Among them the Magdalene is the most restrained, and the easiest to live with in a calm, light room.

How does our painter paint your Penitent Magdalene?

Every Magdalene is painted to order, layer by layer, in oil on canvas. The painter first lays in the dark wall and the slanting band of light above the woman, then places the seated figure in the half-dark, so that the balance of light and shadow is right from the start.

Then come the skin, the reddish hair and the white blouse, followed by the brocade of the bodice, the red bow and the heavy folds of the golden-orange skirt. Last of all come the damask pattern, the sheen of the pearls and the clear carafe in which you can see the level of the oil.

This Caravaggio reproduction carries brush marks on its surface and a depth of colour that no print reaches. An oil painting reproduction like this looks different in the morning and in the evening, because the light of the room settles into the layers of paint.

Which size for which wall?

In short: 40 x 49 or 50 x 64 cm for a bedside table or a narrow wall, 58 x 70 or 71 x 91 cm above a chest of drawers, 89 x 114 or 113 x 146 cm above a bed or sofa, and 129 x 160 or 164 x 200 cm for a tall wall.

There are 8 portrait sizes (width x height): 40 x 49, 50 x 64, 58 x 70, 71 x 91, 89 x 114, 113 x 146, 129 x 160 and 164 x 200 cm. The closest to the original is 89 x 114 cm, which is 9.5 cm narrower and 8.5 cm shorter.

As a painting for the living room above a sofa, 113 x 146 cm works well, because the upright format rises neatly above the backrest. Hang it so that the Magdalene’s head is roughly at eye level, and leave a little empty wall on either side.

Can I choose another size or a frame?

Of course. The original is roughly 4 : 5 in proportion, so it transfers to almost any upright size without the carafe or the pearls on the floor slipping off the edge. Send us the width and height you want and we will reply with a price and a date.

We ship it rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or already framed, and our workshop in Slovenia does the stretching and framing. You pick the frame in our 3D application, which is there only for choosing frames; seeing the painting on your own wall is a separate service.

A slim gold moulding suits the warm golden tones of the skirt, while plain dark wood suits the dark wall behind her and lifts the light on the figure even more.

How does delivery work?

We start on your Magdalene as soon as the order arrives, and within 15 to 45 working days she is ready to travel. Before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished painting; if you would like anything changed, we change it. Within Slovenia and the rest of the EU there are no customs, and our returns policy applies to every order.

Because the scene is calm and personal, Penitent Magdalene makes a fine gift for someone who loves old art. If you would rather leave the size to the person receiving it, give them a wall art voucher.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I see the original?

In Rome, at the Galleria Doria Pamphilj.

Why are the pearls lying on the floor?

The Magdalene has put them down: the discarded jewellery stands for the life she is leaving.

Is it a print?

No. You receive a hand-painted copy in oil on canvas, made by our painter for your order.

How big is the original?

It is 122.5 cm high and 98.5 cm wide; our nearest size is 89 x 114 cm.

Is it suitable for a bedroom?

Yes. The scene is calm and free of violence, so it sits well in a bedroom, a reading corner or a hallway.

Which size goes above a double bed?

Above a bed about 160 cm wide, choose 89 x 114 or 113 x 146 cm.

Can I order a size that is not on the list?

Yes. Send us the width and height, and we will answer with a price and a production time.

How long do I wait for the painting?

15 to 45 working days; before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished painting.

• Subject: the young Mary Magdalene sits with bowed head in an empty room, with the pearls, jewellery and a carafe of oil she has set down on the floor beside her.
• Original: c. 1594–1595, oil on canvas, 122.5 x 98.5 cm, Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome.
• Ours: painted by hand in oil on canvas, in 8 portrait sizes from 40 x 49 to 164 x 200 cm or made to measure.
• Worth knowing: it may be the first religious painting Caravaggio made.