Mary Magdalene writing a letter - Circle of the Master of the Female Half Lenghts

Circle of THE MASTER OF THE FEMALE HALF-LENGHTS
Active in early 16th century
“Mary Magdalene writing a letter”
Oil on panel
Dimensions: 44 x 40 cm, 59 x 51 cm (framed)

THE ARTIST

The Master of the Female Half-Lengths is the notname given to an anonymous painter or more likely a workshop of painters, who was / were active in the Low Countries in the early 16th century. While the true identity of the Master remains uncertain, art historians have long debated the place of activity. Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Mechelen, and even the French court have been proposed. Most scholars agree, however, that the workshop was active in the first half of the 16th century, with Antwerp being the most likely center due to its importance as a hub for the export trade.

Above all, he is famous for his half-length portraits of women, often dressed in rich clothing. The elegant nature of his models, the subjects of his paintings inspired by music or poetry, have also led historians to assume that he worked in Malines, in the refined and cultivated circle of Margaret of Austria, governor of the Netherlands from 1518 to 1530. Her portrait was painted by Bernard van Orley. The anonymous painter is possibly from his studio. The Master’s work shows clear affinities with other artists of the period. This artist also painted landscapes containing religious scenes. He owes his conception of panoramic landscape to the influence of Joachim Patenier, who lived in Antwerp until 1524. Certain stylistic features also link the Master to Bruges painters such as Ambrosius Benson and Adriaen Isenbrant, although the Antwerp connection remains strongest. These various observations converge to justify the hypothesis that the Master worked in Antwerp and Malines, and that his activity developed between 1527 and 1540.

The constant morphological types of his feminine models differ from those in the paintings of his contemporaries, Adriaen Isenbrant and Ambrosius Benson; he has nevertheless been compared with these artists especially as regards religious subjects. This Master’s works remain principally associated with half-length portraits of young women: the head is turned three quarters, the face is oval, the eyebrows arched, the lips well defined, the hair most often in a centre parting, the hands delicate and manicured. Such are the characteristics of the idealised model the Master of Half-length Figures featured in all his paintings.

The figures, with their characteristic heart-shaped faces and serene expressions, embody the sweetness and refinement associated with the Northern Renaissance. The women are often depicted reading, writing or playing musical instruments, and sometimes appear in mythological or religious contexts. The settings are typically wood-paneled interiors or neutral backgrounds, with occasional symbolic attributes, such as an ointment jar, identifying them as Mary Magdalene.

THE ARTWORK

This painting presents a young woman identified as Mary Magdalene. She is richly dressed. Her elaborate clothing presents her as an aristocratic figure, while her activity, writing a letter, links her to the genre scenes for which the Master is best known. Her gentle face and graceful expression are characteristic of the workshop’s style.

Mary Magdalene was one of the most prominent female figures in the New Testament. She followed Jesus during his ministry, witnessed his crucifixion and was the first to see him after the Resurrection. Despite her importance, relatively little is known about her historical life. Over the centuries, her image was reshaped: in 591, Pope Gregory I mistakenly identified her with a prostitute, a misinterpretation that deeply influenced medieval and Renaissance art.
As a result, Mary Magdalene was often depicted in two contrasting ways: either as a fashionably dressed woman embodying vanity and luxury or as a penitent figure, sometimes even shown naked, expressing sorrow and spiritual transformation. In the present work, she is painted in the first appearance: beautiful, refined, and clothed in contemporary finery. Images like these resonated with Renaissance audiences.

The Magdalene became one of the most frequently represented saints in Western art, second only to the Virgin Mary. Her story carried powerful messages about sin, forgiveness, and redemption, themes that were central to Christian teaching. At the same time, the image of an aristocratic young woman absorbed in refined activities also appealed to secular tastes.

In this painting, the workshop of the Master of the Female Half-Lengths combined both religious and worldly associations. On one level, the panel presents Mary Magdalene, a biblical figure of devotion and penitence. On another level, it functions as an idealized image of feminine grace, beauty, and culture, designed to appeal to collectors in Antwerp’s thriving art market.

As Robert Kiely has observed, ‘No figure in the Christian pantheon except Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and John the Baptist has inspired, provoked, or confounded the imagination of painters more than the Magdalene.’ This small panel is elegant and enigmatic, and a vivid testimony to her enduring power in Renaissance art.