Lot 201: NICOLAS RÉGNIER

PENITENT MAGDALENE

51 1/8 by 40 1/2 in.; 130 by 103 cm.

oil on canvas

A. Lemoine, Nicolas Régnier, Paris 2007, p. 304, cat. no. 136, reproduced, p. 305.

Collezione Prosperi Valenti, Rome, since the 19th century;
From whom acquired by the present owner in 2007.

This peaceful Penitent Magdalene is an autograph variant of Régnier's full length prototype, dated 1655-1665, of which two versions are known: one can be found in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and the other is housed in the City Museum and Art Gallery in Birmingham, England. (1 )Having absorbed the tenebrist manner which he had learnt from Manfredi in Rome, Régnier moved to Venice in 1628 and developed his own elegant style which had reached its full maturity by the time the present work was executed.

The subject must have been dear to Régnier for he visited it repeatedly over his long career. The present work, entirely autograph and "très belle", according to Lemoine (see Literature), is faithful to the Vienna version apart from in its depiction of the ointment jar which is more ornate. The main shift is in the reduction of the size of the canvas and in the format of the design which shows the subject at three quarter length rather than at full length.

As Lemoine notes, the modelling for this series of Magdalenes differs to designs which the artist had previously produced. (2) Régnier's previous Magdalenes had been based on models favoured by Guido Reni in which the saint is often contorted in ecstasy, yet here the characteristic penitent plea towards the heavens becomes a more studious and serene inward contemplation of the Scriptures. Moreover, the crucifix, so often the focus of the saint's attention, now blends into the scene, making way for the discrete, yet carefully placed skull which acts both as memento mori and as a sensitively portrayed still life element. Typical of this mature stage of Régnier's career is the drapery which is brought to life not only by its sumptuous folds but by the layering of colours too, from the Magdalene's golden hair to the red and deep blues of her clothes. The gentle lighting of the scene and the dark background accentuate the rich colouring of the clothingand produce a chiaroscuro effect more subtle and personal than his earlier works, such as Saint Sebastian tended to by Saint Irene, which were still so heavily indebted to the caravaggesque currents prevalent in Rome. (3

)1. For the Birmingham and Vienna version see Lemoine, under Literature, pp. 302 and 303 respectively; the Vienna painting is reproduced in colour p. 145.
2. Op. cit, p. 283, cat. no. 101, reproduced p. 282
3. Op. cit. p. 230, cat. no. 27, reproduced in colour p. 26.