Piero della Francesca | Saint Mary Magdalen (1460) | Podere Santa Pia, Holiday house in the south of Tuscany

Piero della Francesca | Saint Mary Magdalene (1460)

More or less at the same time as he was working on the final scenes of the San Francesco cycle, Piero della Francesca was given another important commission in Arezzo: the fresco of Mary Magdalen in the Cathedral, situqated near to the door of the sacresty.
This monumental figure is created entirely by large patches of bright colours, rather like an early 16th-century Venetian painting. Yet even with this new use of colour Piero still concentrates on the attention to detail typical of his mature works: the shining light reflections on the small bottle, the hair that is depicted strand by strand on the saint's solid shoulders.
The saint is represented beyond an arch, which rises from a base just under two meters from the ground. Behind her, a marble parapet separates her from the sky, painted in azurite. The halo, seen in perspective, was gilded, as were probably the belt and the sleeve of the dress. The perspective of the architecture consists simply in the convergence of lines towards a single point above the head of the spectator. The arch, in white stone against a dard red background (a dichromatism which Piero already employed in the Flagellation) appears very thin, its principal lines defined by incisions in the fresh plaster. It was painted on different days from those of the sky and the saint. A confusion can be seen at the left base, which seems covered by a drape of the saint's green dress. A hinted counterpoint regulates the relationship between the Magdalen and the architecture that surrounds her, unfolding boldly like a two-dimensional frame, while the saint's shoulders are on slightly different levels, giving a clue to a movement that cancels the possible implication of a statuary image placed in a niche. The saint is well behind the frame, illuminated by the same light that gives life to the reliefs in the architecture. She is in a free, solar space, where the weather is vibrant through the luminosity of the sky. The strong color brings her back to the surface at the same time as the bold relief shapes her. Inserted between the two complimentary dominants, red and green, the grey satin of the hem of the woollen mantle reflects more light that the white of the edge of the right arch.
The spectacular display of the hair on her shoulders is set against the broad colored surfaces. The solar light becomes subaqueus and almost lunar in the oil jar, that becomes a source of further light, in contact with the saint's left hand. Her blooming beauty, the young curving neck, the delicate indentations round the lips make her the ideal companion of the young St Julian at Sansepolcro, but without his troubled expression, in a serenity that would not appear again until the paintings of Cima da Conegliano. In fact the generous color, which almost presses against the surf ace through its energy, marks the meeting with AntoneIlo da Messina in Rome. This remarkable essay, painted close to home, must be dated just after the Roman period.
The resetting on the same wall as the fresco of the tomb of Bishop Guido Tarlati, in 1783, has trimmed it on the left. Below, a part of the lintel is mlssing.
UsuaIly given a date near the San Francesco frescoes, it has been ascribed to 1452, or c. 1466 and beyond. Battisti opted for a very late dating 'in any case before 26 October 1486 when Piero delegated his brother Marco to receive the credits owed to him by the Bacci.

Piero della Francesca

Polyptych of the Misericordia       The Baptism of Christ       St. Jerome in Penitence       St. Jerome and a Donor      Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta Praying

in Front of St. Sigismund       Portrait of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta      The History of the True Cros      The Flagellation of Christ       Polyptych of Saint

Augustine       Resurrection       Madonna del parto       Nativity       Polyptych of Perugia       Madonna and Child with Saints (Montefeltro Altarpiece)

Paired portraits of Federico da Montefeltro and Battista Sforza       Madonna di Senigallia       Saint Mary Magdalene

Art in Tuscany | Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Artists | Piero della Francesca

Tuscany is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Known for its enchanting landscapes, its fantastic and genuine food and beautiful towns as Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Siena. Tuscany is much more! Spas and thermal baths, natural parks and caves, traditional festivals & tastings. Podere Santa Pia is located in the heart of the Valle d'Ombrone, and one can easily reach some of the most beautiful attractions of Tuscany, such as Montalcino, Pienza, Montepulciano and San Quirico d'Orcia, famous for their artistic heritage, wine, olive oil production and gastronomic traditions. It is the ideal place to pass a very relaxing holiday in contemplation of nature, with the advantage of tasting the most typical dishes of Tuscan cuisine and its best wines. Not far from Cinigiano and clearly visible from Podere Santa Pia, is the famous Castle of Poggio alle Mura, also known as Villa Banfi and home to one of the most popular producers of Brunello di Montalcino D.O.C.G. wine. Set in 7100 hectares of land in the Montalcino area, Castello Banfi il Borgo is one of the most important wine producers in Tuscany. This is the land where the DOC wines Montecucco and Brunello are produced. So, the surrounding countryside is the ideal area for an uncommon wine tour, visiting small farms producing wine and excellent extra virgin olive oil. If you want to spend an unforgettable holiday at Podere Santa Pia, visit our special offers page or contact us.


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