Christ and the Magdalene at the Pharisee's Banquet, Benedetto Luti (Florence, 1666 – Rome, 1724)

Benedetto Luti (Florence, 1666 – Rome, 1724)

Christ and Mary Magdalene at the banquet of the rich Pharisee Simon

Oil painting on canvas
73 x 46 cm. – In frame 93 x 67 cm.

Full details of the painting (click HERE)

During a banquet in the house of the rich Pharisee Simon, where Jesus and his disciples were present, a woman, sincerely repentant of her sins and who tradition has always identified with Mary Magdalene, came with a jar of perfumed oil (Gospel according to Luke, VII: 36-38); stopping behind him, she crouched at his feet and began to bathe them with tears, then dried them with her hair and finally kissed them, perfuming them with the precious ointment.

The Pharisee criticized Jesus for allowing such a sinful woman to touch him, but Jesus turned to the woman and said, “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” To the Pharisees, he replied, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

The episode is extremely significant, emblematic of two totally opposite approaches to life, and the painting is conceived as a dramatic conflict between the Pharisees and Jesus: the world of material values ​​and religious dogmatism of the Pharisees is opposed to the Christian world of sublime ideas and noble deeds, a world of sympathy, charity and goodness.

Certain of the justice and morality of his position, Jesus and his disciples, in welcoming the words of their master, oppose the Pharisees, on whose faces one can read lack of understanding, annoyance and even anger.

The painting, of fine quality, finds comparison with a canvas made by the Florentine painter Benedetto Luti around 1692 for the Florentine knight Giovanni Niccolò Berzighelli (oil on canvas, 305x198 cm), shortly after his arrival in Rome, as attested by three letters exchanged between Benedetto and his master DA Gabbiani, today in the English collection of Viscount Scarsdale at Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire.
URL: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/christ-and-mary-magdalene-in-the-house-of-simon-172138;

A pupil of Maratta in Rome and one of the protagonists of Roman painting between the end of the seventeenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth century, he developed his own personal style which led him to be one of the finest and most precocious interpreters of Rococo painting, much appreciated and sought after.

Our canvas is therefore a version, presumably made by the master himself or by one of his valid collaborators, which differs from the English one by presenting the ceremonial plates behind Christ. Instead, it finds affinity for this additional detail with the other versions attributed to Benedetto Luti and today at the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria, Palazzo dei Priori (https://catalogo.cultura.gov.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/1000016641).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold complete with a pleasant gilded wooden frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic card.

We take care of and organize the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.

In case of purchase of the work by non-Italian customers it will be necessary to obtain an export permit which requires approximately 10/20 days, our gallery will take care of the entire phase until obtaining it. All costs of this procedure are included.

It is also possible to see the painting in the gallery in Riva del Garda, we will be happy to welcome you to show you our collection of works.

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