La Madeleine repentie (1648) Painting by Philippe De Champaigne

Fine art paper, 10x8 in
  • Original Artwork Painting, Oil
  • Dimensions Height 45.6in, Width 35in
  • Framing This artwork is not framed
  • Categories Classicism Portrait
Philippe de Champaigne's painting "La Madeleine repentie" depicts Mary Magdalene in a moment of deep contemplation and repentance. Seated in a dark cavern, she crosses her arms over her chest in a gesture of penance and supplication. Her long golden hair frames her face, illuminated by a soft light that contrasts with the surrounding darkness. In front [...]
Philippe de Champaigne's painting "La Madeleine repentie" depicts Mary Magdalene in a moment of deep contemplation and repentance. Seated in a dark cavern, she crosses her arms over her chest in a gesture of penance and supplication. Her long golden hair frames her face, illuminated by a soft light that contrasts with the surrounding darkness. In front of her, an open book and a skull, symbols of meditation on the vanity of earthly things and death, lie on a stone table. A ceramic vase and a wooden cross complete the scene, adding a spiritual and ascetic dimension. Mary Magdalene's expression, turned toward heaven with tears in her eyes, conveys an intense emotion of regret and devotion, captured with great sensitivity by de Champaigne.

Related themes

PortraitBibleReligionMarie Madeleine

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Philippe de Champaigne was a French painter of the Baroque era, born in Brabancon on May 26, 1602 and died on August 12, 1674. He was an important member of the French school. He was one of the founders of the [...]

Philippe de Champaigne was a French painter of the Baroque era, born in Brabancon on May 26, 1602 and died on August 12, 1674. He was an important member of the French school. He was one of the founders of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris. It was the best art school in France in the 18th century. Champaigne was born into a poor family in Brussels (Duchy of Brabant, Southern Netherlands) at the time of Archduke Albert and Archduchess Isabelle. He learned to paint landscapes from Jacques Fouquières. In 1621, he moved to Paris, where he worked on the decoration of the Luxembourg Palace with Nicolas Poussin, under the direction of Nicolas Duchesne, whose daughter he would later marry. Houbraken relates that Duchesne resented Champaigne for being more popular than him at court. This is why Champaigne returned to live in Brussels with his brother and did not return to marry his daughter until he learned of Duchesne's death.[1] After Duchesne's death, Champaigne worked for the Queen Mother, Marie de Medici. He helped Marie de Medici decorate the Luxembourg Palace. In 1638, he made several paintings for Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. He also made cartoons that were used on tapestries. He received a pension of 1200 livres and became the Queen's First Painter. He also modified the Carmes church in the Faubourg Saint-Jacques, which was one of the Queen Mother's favorite places of worship. During the French Revolution, this place was destroyed, but some of the original paintings were saved and are now in museums. The Assumption of the Virgin is in the Louvre, the Presentation in the Temple in Dijon and the Resurrection of Lazarus in Grenoble. He also worked for Cardinal Richelieu, whose Palais Cardinal, the dome of the Sorbonne and other buildings he decorated. Champaigne was the only artist allowed to paint Richelieu dressed as a cardinal, which he did eleven times. In 1648, he was one of the first to enter the Academy of Painting and Sculpture. At the end of his life, after 1640, he became a follower of Jansenism. After his paralyzed daughter was cured by a miracle at the convent of Port-Royal, he painted Ex-Voto of 1662, which is now in the Louvre. It shows the artist's daughter with Mother Superior Agnès Arnauld.

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