Sacred Prostitute

Antonio Canova's Magdalene

Nigel Bruce

• 1 min read

In Italian it is known as Maddalena penitente and it is from 1796.

Canova Magdalene
It is the Hermitage St. Petersburg. Photo: Mak Thorpe.

Above is Maddalena Giacente (Recumbent Magdalene) (1819-1822), which Canova completed shortly before his death, was "found" again 200 years after his death. It was to be auctioned by Christies in 2022 but there has been no news since on whether it was sold. Here is a close up: