1655 (ca.), Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, The Penitent Magdalene -- San Diego Museum of Art
From the museum label: By the mid-1650s, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo was the leading painter in Seville. He became the most famous Spanish painter of the century, apart from Velázquez, whose work was mostly confined to the royal court. Seville was Spain's primary port and gateway to the Americas. As such it attracted a wealthy international merchant class. Murillo was enormously popular with such patrons. The Magdalene was an important follower of Jesus who renounced her worldly life to take on that of a hermit. Here she prays in a cave, contemplating life's fleeting nature, which is represented by the skull (known as a memento mori—a reminder of death and judgment).
1655 (ca.), Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, The Penitent Magdalene -- San Diego Museum of Art
From the museum label: By the mid-1650s, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo was the leading painter in Seville. He became the most famous Spanish painter of the century, apart from Velázquez, whose work was mostly confined to the royal court. Seville was Spain's primary port and gateway to the Americas. As such it attracted a wealthy international merchant class. Murillo was enormously popular with such patrons. The Magdalene was an important follower of Jesus who renounced her worldly life to take on that of a hermit. Here she prays in a cave, contemplating life's fleeting nature, which is represented by the skull (known as a memento mori—a reminder of death and judgment).