According to a legend popular in Caravaggio's time, after
Christ's death his faithful female disciple
Mary of Magdala moved to
southern France, where she lived as a hermit in a cave at
Sainte-Baume near
Aix-en-Provence. There she was transported seven times a day by angels into the presence of God, "where she heard, with her bodily ears, the delightful harmonies of the celestial choirs." Earlier artists had depicted Mary ascending into the divine presence through multicoloured clouds accompanied by angels; Caravaggio made the supernatural an entirely interior experience, with the Magdalen alone against a featureless dark background, caught in a ray of intense light, her head lolling back and eyes stained with tears. This revolutionary naturalistic interpretation of the legend also allowed him to capture the ambiguous parallel between mystical and erotic love, in Mary's semi-reclining posture and bared shoulder. The painting was immensely influential for future treatment of the theme by artists such as
Rubens and
Simon Vouet (who adopted Carvaggio's earth-bound Magdalen but reintroduced the angels), and of
Bernini's celebrated
Ecstasy of St Theresa.
Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy was believed to be lost for centuries, its whereabouts unknown following Caravaggio's tumultuous final years. In 2014, the painting resurfaced and was subsequently authenticated as an original masterpiece by a team of leading art historians, including renowned Italian scholar Mina Gregori. Its rediscovery was a groundbreaking moment in the art world, offering fresh insight into Caravaggio's later works. ==See also==