1530 (ca.), Bachiacca (Ubertini Francesco), Mary Magdalene -- Uffizi Gallery (Florence)
From the museum label: This is one of a series of half-length lavishly dressed ladies that Bachiacca painted in the 1530s. The halo and the attributes - the red gown and the jar of ointment - would identify the figure as Mary Magdalene, but this is not a traditional image of a penitent saint. The enigmatic expression, the lavish fur collar, and the fine alabaster jar would suggest that it is a portrait of a woman in the guise of the saint. Some scholars say that the fascinating model, who appears often in Bachiacca's paintings, was his mistress, the courtesan Pentesilea.
1530 (ca.), Bachiacca (Ubertini Francesco), Mary Magdalene -- Uffizi Gallery (Florence)
From the museum label: This is one of a series of half-length lavishly dressed ladies that Bachiacca painted in the 1530s. The halo and the attributes - the red gown and the jar of ointment - would identify the figure as Mary Magdalene, but this is not a traditional image of a penitent saint. The enigmatic expression, the lavish fur collar, and the fine alabaster jar would suggest that it is a portrait of a woman in the guise of the saint. Some scholars say that the fascinating model, who appears often in Bachiacca's paintings, was his mistress, the courtesan Pentesilea.