Mateo Cerezo - Tumblr Posts

The Penitent Magdalene. Mateo Cerezo (Spanish, 1637-1666). Oil on canvas. Private collection.

Cerezo’s style is that of Spanish Baroque, influenced by Tenebrism. Cerezo was inspired by Titian and the refined elegance of Anthony van Dyck, and his varied, warm palette made him one of the most sensitive and refined colourists of the late Madrid school. 

Mary Magdalene holds a skull, a common symbol of mortality. She may be pondering the earthly reality of our mortality and the eternal truth of the spiritual life. The time is sometime after the Crucifixion and Resurrection. The penitent is living in poverty. She obviously has still retained her beauty.