Paolo Veronese, 'The Conversion of Mary Magdalene', about 1548
About the work
Overview
This is one of Veronese’s earliest works, painted when he was about 18, probably for a noble patron in Verona. The lighting from the right suggests that it was made for a specific location, perhaps the side wall of a chapel.
The painting’s subject has been the matter of much debate but it is now believed to show the conversion of Mary Magdalene. In western Christianity since the Middle Ages, Mary Magdalene was considered to be a promiscuous woman or a prostitute.
Martha takes her sister Mary to the Temple to hear Jesus preach as she is worried about her spiritual health. Overcome by Christ’s words, Mary blushes with shame and sinks to her knees. Mary is converted by her encounter with Christ and turns to a life of piety. The jewellery slipping from her neck suggests her decision to reject worldly things and become a follower of Christ.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- The Conversion of Mary Magdalene
- Artist
- Paolo Veronese
- Artist dates
- 1528 - 1588
- Date made
- about 1548
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 117.5 × 163.5 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Wynn Ellis Bequest, 1876
- Inventory number
- NG931
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
Provenance
Sir Gregory Page, Bt, by 1761; by descent to Sir Gregory Osborne Page Turner, by whom sold before 1823, when the painting was in the possession of William Smith. Smith’s sale, Christie’s, London, 16 May 1829, lot 69. Bought by Wynn Ellis, by whom bequeathed in 1876 to the National Gallery.
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Nicholas Penny, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Paintings’, vol. 2, ‘Venice 1540–1600’, London 2008; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Exhibition history
-
2009Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese: Rivals in Renaissance VeniceMuseum of Fine Arts, Boston15 March 2009 - 16 August 2009Musée du Louvre17 September 2009 - 4 January 2010
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2014Veronese: Magnificence in Renaissance VeniceThe National Gallery (London)19 March 2014 - 15 June 2014
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2014Paolo VeronesePalazzo della Gran Guardia5 July 2014 - 5 October 2014
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2022El Greco in BudapestSzépművészeti Múzeum27 October 2022 - 19 February 2023
Bibliography
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1854G.F. Waagen, Treasures of Art in Great Britain: Being and Account of the Chief Collections of Paintings, Drawings, Sculptures, Illuminated Mss. […], vol. 2, trans. E. Eastlake, London 1854
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1877R.N. Wornum, Descriptive and Historical Catalogue of Pictures in the National Gallery, British School, Foreign Schools, London 1877
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1888P. Caliari, Paolo Veronese, sua vita e sue opere, Rome 1888
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1920C.H.C. Baker, National Gallery: Descriptive and Historical Catalogue of Foreign Pictures in Trafalgar Square, London 1920
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1939A.M. Brizio, 'Rileggendo Vasari', Emporium, XXVIII, 1939, pp. 123-30
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1943R. Pallucchini, Veronese, Bergamo 1943
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1957B. Berenson, Italian Pictures of the Renaissance: A List of the Principal Artists and Their Works, with an Index of Places: Venetian School, 2 vols, London 1957
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1958B. Berenson, Pitture italiane del Rinascimento: La scuola veneta, Florence 1958
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1959Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Venetian School, London 1959
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1960M. Levey, 'An Early Dated Veronese and Veronese's Early Work', The Burlington Magazine, CII/684, 1960, pp. 106-11
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1968G. Piovene and R. Marini, L'opera completa del Veronese, Milan 1968
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1976T. Pignatti, Veronese: L'opera completa, Venice 1976
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1982D.G. Pechukas, 'Two Oil Sketches and the Youth of Veronese', Art Bulletin, LXIV/3, 1982, pp. 388-413
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1986T. Pignatti, 'Gli esordi pre-veneziani di Paolo Veronese', Arte veneta, XL, 1986, pp. 73-84
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1987Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Schools, London 1987
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1988J. Mills and R. White, 'Analyses of Paint Media', National Gallery Technical Bulletin, XII, 1988, pp. 78-9
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1989National Gallery, 'Pictures Cleaned and Restored in the Conservation Department of the National Gallery, January 1989 – October 1992', National Gallery Technical Bulletin, XIV, 1993, pp. 95-6
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1994L. Gnocchi, Paolo Veronese fra artisti e letterati, Florence 1994
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1995N. Penny and M. Spring, 'Veronese's Paintings in the National Gallery, Technique and Materials: Part I', National Gallery Technical Bulletin, XVI, 1995, pp. 4-29
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1997W.R. Rearick, 'Paolo Veronese's Earliest Works', Artibus et historiae, XVIII, 1997, pp. 147-59
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2000A. Priever, Paolo Caliari, Gennant Veronese, 1528-1588, Cologne 2000
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
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2004W.R. Rearick, 'Titian and Competition in Cinquecento Venice. Titian and His Rivals', Studi tizianeschi, II, 2004, pp. 31-43
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2008Penny, Nicholas, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Paintings, 2, Venice, 1540-1600, London 2008
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
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