Saint Mary Magdalene (polyptych, panel 5 of 5)

This Saint Mary Magdalene panel belongs to the same five-part polyptych as the Saint Paul by the Master of the Dominican Effigies, created around 1345 for a Dominican foundation. The Magdalene was one of the most popular saints in Gothic art, venerated as the model of repentance and contemplative devotion, and her presence in a Dominican polyptych reflects the order's emphasis on penitential spirituality. Now in the Courtauld Gallery, London, the panel shows this anonymous Florentine master's competent workshop style within the broader Giottesque tradition.

Egg tempera on gold-ground panel with punch-work halo decoration matching the other panels of the polyptych. The Magdalene is identified by her long flowing hair and ointment jar, rendered in the flat but refined manner characteristic of this anonymous mid-Trecento Florentine workshop.