Artemisia Gentileschi’s “Mary Magdalene as Melancholy” is an iconic artwork that showcases the artist’s mastery of Baroque chiaroscuro technique. Created between 1622 and 1625, the painting is believed to express the artist’s own emotional state following her traumatic experience of rape in 1611.

In this powerful painting, Mary Magdalene is depicted as a penitent saint with a round face, stylized nose, and large eyes filled with tears. Her pose of surrender and the expression of pain on her face convey a deep sense of loss and despair.

The inclusion of a perfume bottle, typically associated with Mary of Bethany, adds a layer of complexity to the artwork. While the anointing of Jesus’s feet is commonly associated with Mary Magdalene, the iconographic significance of the perfume bottle in this painting has been debated by art historians.

Despite the controversy surrounding this detail, there is no doubt that “Mary Magdalene as Melancholy” is a masterpiece that showcases Artemisia Gentileschi’s ability to capture the beauty and emotion of female figures. The artwork has been compared to Caravaggio’s style and has been the subject of much interpretation, with some art historians seeing an allusion to sex in the crease between the protagonist’s arm and armpit.