The Magdalen Reading
Artist: Rogier van der Weyden (Dutch, About 1399 - 1464)
Original Dimensions: 24 1/2" x 21 3/8"
Location: National Gallery of Art, London
About Artwork: (About 1435) "A young lady in an extravagant green dress sits on the floor, reading. Although she wears fifteenth-century clothing and is in a medieval room, she is a biblical figure: Saint Mary Magdalene. The pot of oil with which she anointed Christ’s feet – the object traditionally associated with her – stands on the floor beside her casting a strong shadow. Her figure forms a semi-circle, with her head and legs curving around her bent knees, emphasising her absorption in her book. This painting was originally the lower right corner of what must have been a large altarpiece of the Virgin and Child with saints, painted for a church in Brussels. You can see part of a man behind Mary while another kneels to the left; his toes poke out from under his voluminous red robe." - (National Gallery of Art, London)

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