St. Mary Magdalene

The subject of a penitent Mary Magdalene offered the painter an ideal opportunity to depict a charming nude. The freshly painted chiaroscuro canvas draws the eye with its refined handling of light as well as the beauty of the model and sensual execution betraying the artist’s personal engagement. As George Knox wrote about a group of paintings with the same theme (1992). Piazzetta may have been painting his fiancée.