Statue de Sainte Marie Madeleine

Circa 1520 Limestone from Avesnois, traces of polychromy. The work is exceptionally well preserved. It is distinguished by its very fine quality: the drapery of her cloak gives the figure breadth, while the decorative elements of her clothing are treated with meticulousness, in particular her headdress, also sculpted on the reverse. The work, hollowed out at the bottom, would have been placed against a pillar or column. The rather exuberant decoration, like that of the statue of Saint Agnes, refers to typical forms of the transition period between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. They can be seen in all the arts, in painting as well as in sculpture, especially in the Old Netherlands. This decorative overkill is particularly visible in the artistic movement called Antwerp Mannerism.

Guiding to Faith

Richly dressed in the fashion of the early sixteenth^century, St. Magdalene is identifiable by her attribute: the perfume jar containing the oil with which she washed the feet of Christ. On the back, the statue is hollowed out at the bottom: it must have been installed against a pillar or column, and certainly high up, sinceshe is looking downwards. The expression on her face, with its pensive look, invites meditation, personal recollection and prayer from one who was entering the religious building where it was exhibited.