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Mary Magdalen Writing a Letter

Not on view
A young woman in courtly dress pauses while writing a letter. She holds her quill aloft while scratching out a mistake with her scraping knife. The gold vessel behind her identifies her as Saint Mary Magdalen, whose attribute is an ointment jar. Mary Magdalen’s life before her conversion was a popular subject in Antwerp art, in which this painter’s workshop specialized. She is repeatedly depicted as an elite courtesan, shown writing or playing music. This painting is innovative in how it intentionally bridges the gap between sacred and secular worlds. While one focus is her physical beauty, another is her quiet attention and inner life.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Mary Magdalen Writing a Letter
  • Artist: Master of the Female Half-Lengths (Netherlandish, active ca. 1525–50)
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: 10 × 7 5/16 in. (25.4 × 18.6 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Dick Wolf Collection, Gift of Dick Wolf, 2026
  • Object Number: 2026.360.2
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

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Virgin and Child, Master of the Female Half-Lengths Netherlandish, Oil on wood, Netherlandish
Virgin and Child
Master of the Female Half-Lengths
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Shaffron (Horse's Head Defense), Steel, gold, leather, Dutch
Shaffron (Horse's Head Defense)
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ca. 1620
A Bouquet of Flowers, Clara Peeters Flemish, Oil on wood
A Bouquet of Flowers
Clara Peeters
ca. 1612
Pair of Stirrups, Iron, gold, Netherlandish
Pair of Stirrups
Netherlandish
first half 17th century
The Penitent Magdalen, Georges de La Tour French, Oil on canvas
The Penitent Magdalen
Georges de La Tour
ca. 1640

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