Between portrait and devotion Images of Magdalene in the first half of the Sixteenth Century

At the beginning of the Renaissance a particular type of painting that depicted Mary Magdalene playing an instrument, singing or reading had a wide circulation and some ladies wished to have themselves portrayed in the guise of the saint. This article considers some of these examples in relation to the figure of the Magdalen, its evolution over the centuries and the significance it had taken on in the culture and society of the time.