Gentileschi, Orazio (1563-1639)
Maddalena penitente (The Penitent Mary Magdalene)
c.1622–1628
Oil on canvas, 163 × 208 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Inscribed at lower right: HORATIVS GENE …FLORENTINVS
Fully possessed of her physical beauty, the repentant sinner lies on the ground in her lonely cave, her look turned heavenwards towards the light. Her simple attire shows her repudiation of earthly vanity, while the skull and opened book indicate her inner conversion and devotion to spirituality. (KHM)