Public data from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Learn more
About the Artwork
Simon Vouet worked in Rome for several years before he was summoned back to France in 1627 to serve as court painter to King Louis XIII. This painting, executed soon after his return, reveals how skillfully Vouet adapted his Italian experiences to local tastes: the focus on a single monumental figure, positioned close to the picture plane, reflects the influence of Caravaggio, but the vivid pastel colors accord with the French preference for a brighter palette. Representations of the penitent Magdalene as a hermit—expressing Christian devotion but also sensuality—were exceedingly popular in the 1600s.
Provenance
by 1769: Marquis Laurent de Migieu (Paris, France), by descent to Vicomte René de Vaulchier. by 1951: Vicomte René de Vaulchier, Chateau de Savigny-les-Beaune, Cote d'Or. June 6, 1978: Sale: Guy Loudmer, Palais d'Orsay, Paris, June 6, 1978, no. 30. December 14, 1987: Sale: Guy Loudmer, Hotel Drouot, Paris, December 14, 1987, no. 24. 1987–1988: Matthiesen Fine Art (London, England), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art. 1988–present: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH.
Exhibition history
The Year in Review for 1988. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 1-May 14, 1989).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Simon Vouet (French, 1590–1649)
- Date
- c. 1630
- Medium
- oil on panel
- Dimensions
- Framed: 159 x 132 x 13 cm (62 5/8 x 51 15/16 x 5 1/8 in.); Unframed: 130.8 x 103.5 cm (51 1/2 x 40 3/4 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
- Accession no.
- 1988.108
More by Simon Vouet in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00009342
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