In Search of Mary Magdalene in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Because not everyone can visit, and today had been forecasted as a beautiful and sunny day, I decided that it would be a day to enjoy New York. And that includes a visit to the Met! And why not look for paintings of Mary Magdalene at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to share?

The Pietá with the Archangel Michael and Saints Andrew, Peter, and John the Baptist.

The first painting of Mary Magdalene I found was this altar piece. Many images of Mary Magdalene are from the Middle Ages because Mary Magdalene was a very popular saint during that time. She appears in images of the Crucifixion, and also by herself. In this painting we can see her on the right side of the main panel, holding her jar of oil, and dressed in a red cloth.

Detail of The Pietá with the Archangel Michael and Saints Andrew, Peter, and John the Baptist.

It’s interesting that the caption offered by the museum does not mention Mary Magdalene as part of the scene.

This sculpture is hidden in plain sight in the main hall of Medieval Art. It’s labeled “Saint Mary Magdalene or Holy Woman” as if the curator was not sure whether this really was Mary Magdalene. She is holding the jar, and has flowing long hair outside a veil. It also comes from France. I think we can decide it’s meant to be Mary Magdalene.

This small sculpture of Mary Magdalen is in the same area of Medieval art. She is depicted as a typical lady from the Middle Ages.

I missed photographing the label for this life size group of sculptures, but we can clearly see Mary Magdalene all the way to the right, with her sadness, the jar and her curls escaping her veil. The saints are at the Sepulcher, witnessing the body of Christ after the Crucifixion. Mary Magdalene’s expression seems as if tears are falling from her semi-closed eyes, and compared to the lady next to her, the Magdalene seems to be in a trance, the way someone gets after a terrible shock. She is in the process of opening her jar, probably to use the oil on the dead body of her beloved.

The first saint is St. Mary Magdalene. The inscription reads something like “ST M MADALGA.” I don’t know if it’s a typo of the time or if this is a way in which Mary Magdalene was spelled (it probably should be MAGDALA) She leads the procession of women saints. And at the end we can see another version of how Mary Magdalene is often depicted in Medieval Art, covered in hair. I can’t read the name above, and it might be referring a different saint, although I never saw another saint depicted this way.

Before I had to leave the museum, I found this painting of Mary Magdalene during the Crucifixion. “At the foot of the Cross” and with a desperate expression of both sorrow and hope. She hugs the cross in a gesture to contain the flowing blood and the loss of life.

During this Holy Week in the Catholic Tradition, Mary Magdalene is always present as a witness to both the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. She cries tears of pain and tears of joy. She reminds us that, while there might be times when we don’t understand what is happening or why, miracles await through faith beyond what we cannot yet see.

Today’s drawing of Mary Magdalene