Carracci, Annibale (1560-1609)
L’estasi di Maria Maddalena (The Ecstasy of Mary Magdalene)
1585–1600
Oil on panel, 37.5 x 29.5 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
According to the Golden Legend, after the death of Christ his follower Mary Magdalene moved to the region around Marseilles where she led a solitary life of penitence. She is shown here in an ecstatic trance, comforted by two angels, in a work that combines a naturalistic approach to the details with Carracci’s characteristic idealised beauty. (MNP)