Martha and Mary Magdalene

In keeping with the theme of Martha and Mary of Bethany, we take another look on Caravaggio's amazing Martha and Mary Magdalene (1598). This piece is typically interpreted as the moment that Mary Magdalene turns away from her life of sin as a prostitute and embraces God as her sister Martha pleads with her. Today, we know that Mary of Bethany is a different person than Mary Magdalene and that Bible says nothing about Mary Magdalene actually being a prostitute. However, back in Caravaggio's day, Mary Magdalene was a main figure in the Counter-Reformation efforts, known as the prostitute turned saint whose sister Martha helped put her on the path to God. Baroque art is full of paintings of Mary Magdalene in various states of dress and ecstasy that we will continue to explore. This piece is housed at the amazing Detroit Institute of Art, but has been on the road for a significant of the past several years. You will want to keep track of it with our Caravaggio listing.