object
Ointment Jar
Alabaster or glass vessel—primary Western attribute.
Iconography & biography archive
Era: 1st century · Galilee, JerusalemFeast: July 22Category: New Testament
Sources: Luke 8:2; Mark 15–16; John 20; apostolicae sedis on clarified identity (2016).
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Browse depictions7 works
Selected depiction
Mary Magdalene
Palazzo Pitti, Florence
New Testament
Mary Magdalene
Magdalene
Feast: July 22
Intermediate difficulty
Magdalene—witness of the Crucifixion and first herald of the Resurrection—holds the jar that Western art turned into penitence made visible.
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Iconographic Attributes
Symbols that identify this saint in sacred art
object
Ointment Jar
Alabaster or glass vessel—primary Western attribute.
symbol
Skull
Meditation on repentance (memento mori)
symbol
Flowing Hair
Flowing locks in penitent scenes; not universal in Eastern tradition.
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Iconographic Field Guide
How to read Mary Magdalene in paintings, sculpture, and altarpieces
The ointment jar links to anointing traditions; long unbound hair marks the “penitent Magdalene” type popular in Counter-Reformation art. Skull in wilderness scenes signals contemplation. Eastern icons may show her as myrrh-bearer at the tomb without extravagant hair.
symbol
Skull
Meditation on repentance (memento mori)
symbol
Flowing Hair
Flowing locks in penitent scenes; not universal in Eastern tradition.
Typical vesture
- —long hair
- —rich robes
Color conventions
Artists often dress Mary Magdalene in red, gold—these hues are not rigid rules but long-standing conventions that help recognition in polyptychs and chapel cycles.
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Visual Gallery
Selected depictions of Mary Magdalene from verified sources
Palazzo Pitti, Florence
Oil on canvas
Mary Magdalene
Titian
Wikimedia Commons
Painting
Mary Magdalene (devotional portrait)
Wikimedia Commons
Painting
Mary Magdalene (Jan Gossaert)
Galleria Palatina, Florence
Oil on canvas
Mary Magdalene
Artemisia Gentileschi
Wikimedia Commons
Painting
Mary Magdalene (Titian - Penitent Magdalene (Hermitage).jpg)
Museo del Prado
Oil on canvas
Mary Magdalene in Penitence
El Greco
Private collection (historical attribution)
Oil on canvas
Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy
Caravaggio
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Biographical Archive
Life, witness, and historical framing
Easter role is historically secure; later conflations with other women were corrected in modern teaching but persist in older labels. Trust the jar at the tomb and Noli me tangere gestures.
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Visual Recognition Guide
Clues ordered for museum identification
1.Ointment jar or alabaster box
Anointing at Bethany tradition
2.Long flowing hair
Penitent Magdalene type
3.Skull
Meditation on repentance (memento mori)
4.Red or gold robe
Rich garments of the penitent saint
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Patronage and Devotion
Why communities invoke this figure
penitent sinnersperfumershairdressers
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Distinguishing Similar Figures
Avoid common misidentifications in galleries
Often confused with Virgin Mary: Sometimes confused with other Marys in tradition
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Notes from the Archive
Scholarly curiosities and cult details
- ✝First to announce the Resurrection to the apostles
- ✝Eastern and Western iconography differ on hair and jar emphasis
At a glance
- Feast
- July 22
- Category
- New Testament
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Patron of
- penitent sinnersperfumershairdressers
Life & legacy
Magdalene’s Easter role is historically secure; later conflations with other women were corrected in modern teaching but persist in older labels. Trust the jar at the tomb and Noli me tangere gestures.
Curiosities
- First to announce the Resurrection to the apostles
- Eastern and Western iconography differ on hair and jar emphasis
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