Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index



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  • Title: Mary Magdalene
  • Creator: Donatello, artist
  • Description: The Magdalene appears emaciated, aged, hollow-eyed and toothless. Her long hair clothes her, and in this regard she may be conflated with Mary of Egypt, a saint of the early Church who is often depicted as an emaciated old woman clothed with her own hair. This harsh depiction of a penitent Magdalene may be part of the reform concerning prostitution in Florence.
  • Source: Wikimedia Commons
  • Rights: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en , e.g. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
  • Subject (See Also): Asceticism Hagiography Mary Magdalene, Saint Penance
  • Geographic Area: Italy
  • Century: 15
  • Date: ca. 1453-1455
  • Related Work:
  • Current Location: Florence, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo
  • Original Location: Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, St. John Baptistery, southwest side (as of 1500—original location unknown)
  • Artistic Type (Category): Digital images; Sculptures
  • Artistic Type (Material/Technique): Poplar wood
  • Donor:
  • Height/Width/Length(cm): 188 cm/ 74"//
  • Inscription:
  • Related Resources: