Mary Magdalene Reading by Piero di Cosimo
This beautiful and colorful Mary Magdalene from 15th century imagination shows us an image that is transitioning between the art of the Middle Ages with it’s bright colors and imaginative scenes, to the realism of Reinaissaince art.
In Mary Magdalene Reading by Piero di Cosimo, Mary Magdalene is reading scripture, her perfume jar is carefully balanced in the lower right corner. She wears some red, but it seems the artist wanted to give her all the colors of the rainbow in her clothes, with green velvet in her dress, a bright yellow blouse, and the red cape with a royal blue detail. Her wavy red hair, adorned by pearls, complements the green dress. A note seems to be almost about to fall from the painting: it’s a magic trick that painters used to show off their abilities. It might have a message for us, if we could ready it. The dark background gives the image mystery and helps the colors stand out.
This is an image of Mary Magdalene the scholar, the seeker who studies into the night, filling herself with wisdom represented by the book she is reading.
In contrast to the images of the Penitent Magdalene or repented prostitute inspired by the declaration in the year 591 by Pope Gregory the Great, who identified Mary Magdalene as the "sinful woman" in Luke 7:36-50, this image of Mary Magdalene portrays her in a very different and bright light.
If we observe the Magdalene’s face, her serenity and peace inspire us to meditate and think deeply. Her bright colors invite us to delight in the interior life. A message of delight is not the usual message in the images of Mary Magdalene, but our time and evolving views welcome a new interpretation.
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