Saint Mary Magdalene at the Sepulchre

Mary Magdalene peers from behind shimmering folds of satin, the ointment jar with which she anointed Christ’s feet at her side, standing at the sepulchre to anoint his body — unaware that he has risen and that she is about to meet him in the garden. The strong light that bathes the left half of the canvas implies his illuminating presence, and the shadow across her face stands for her impending enlightenment. The gleaming, silvery light and vivid colour mark the height of Savoldo’s career, and the composition exists in three further versions in Berlin, London and Florence. The painting is held in the J. Paul Getty Museum.