In November, art historians and medical experts identified protrusions and a retracted nipple (telltale signs of breast cancer) in The Flood, a painting by Michelangelo. However, other secrets were buried in the art of the great master, this time in the Last Judgment. An art expert claims to have found a key and previously missing biblical figure in the magnificent fresco of the Sistine Chapel. In a sort of ‘Where is Charlie?‘ replayed this time on this Renaissance masterpiece, this Italian researcher claims to have located a representation of Mary Magdalene.
The Last Judgment: a complex painting
Through its profound depiction of redemption and damnation, there is no doubt that The Last Judgment is one of the most sublime paintings in the world. Measuring 13.7 meters by 12.2 meters, this monumental work by the Italian artist Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (or simply Michelangelo) adorns the entire altar wall of the Sistine Chapel, in the City of Vatican.
This masterpiece, created between 1536 and 1541, counts around 300 figures and many detailsso much so that even 500 years after its completion, their identity continues to be debatedcomposing a real ‘Who Is Who?‘ of Christianity. In the center is of course Christ accompanied by the Virgin Mary. Around revolve John the Baptist, Saint Peter and an assembly of saints. The painting shows several half-naked male figures. Above, angels carry the cross and pillar through the heavens. Below, the damned are beaten, thrown and led to their doom by trumpets during the Last Judgment.
The identity of Mary Magdalene, the first person to meet Jesus after his resurrection, however, is remained elusive. Some thought this controversial woman had been left out entirely. This was not the opinion of Sara Penco, however, a restorer and art researcher based in Rome felt that the repentant sinner was a figure too central to Michelangelo’s Christian vision to be dismissed. In the crowd, however, a man holding a cross and a woman next to him caught his attention.
Jesus represented twice in the Last Judgment?
Sara Penco claims that the muscular, almost naked male figure holding the cross is not none other than Jesus Christ. According to her, it would not be, as has long been assumed, Simon of Cyrene, the man forced by the Romans to carry the cross of Jesus on the path to crucifixion. This therefore suggests that there would be two representations of Jesus in The Last Judgment : one on the right with Mary Magdalene (see below) and one in the center, haloed in light.
Although their faces are different, they both have their right arm in a similar position and identical strands of light hair. They are also both beardless, which deviates from traditional depictions of Jesus with a beard, apparently inspired by an ancient Greek statue of Apollo. Although it may seem strange to depict the same character twice in a single painting, Penco thinks they would be here differentiated into Christ the judge and Christ the redeemer.
If so, then the woman beside him is Mary Magdalene.
« I am firmly convinced that this is Mary Magdalene », Says Sara Penco in Rome on December 10, during an event announcing the publication of her book on this discovery. “ The intimacy with the cross, the yellow dress and the blond hair, but also the whole context in which Michelangelo places this figure to emphasize its importance. » Penco’s simplest argument is indeed based on the proximity of Mary Magdalene to Christ and his cross in the painting. She kisses the cross while Christ looks at her. It is a proximity that is echoed in the Bible: Mary Magdalene stops near the cross during the Passion, remains at the tomb, witnesses the resurrection of Jesus and announces the news to the apostles.
Then there is the bright yellow of the woman’s dress. This color indeed evoked betrayal, sin and madness, characteristics often associated with Mary Magdalenealthough it has sometimes also been depicted in red, the color of resurrection. The use of yellow is thus explained by the fact that it was often described as a sinful womanas in the Gospel of Luke, and generally considered a repentant prostitute.
« Michelangelo was a highly cultivated expert painter who knew perfectly the dynamics of the Church, the gospels and he couldn’t have forgotten her », concludes the expert on who is surely one of the most mysterious and intriguing figures in the gospels.
