The Phoebus Foundation

Mary Magdalene

17/09/2026 - 17/01/2027

Sin. Pray. Love.

Mary Magdalene has never been easy to pin down. Saint, sinner, penitent, devoted follower of Christ: over the centuries, artists have returned to her time and again, each seeing something different.

This autumn, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt explores the many faces of Mary Magdalene in a major exhibition spanning the Middle Ages to the present day. More than a hundred paintings, sculptures and works on paper reveal how ideas about faith, the body and the role of women have shifted over the centuries.

Three works from The Phoebus Foundation collection have also made the journey to Frankfurt for the occasion: Mary Magdalene Washing the Feet of Christ, The Lamentation of the Dying Mary Magdalene and The Penitent Mary Magdalene. Three very different moments, and three ways of looking at a figure who, centuries later, still refuses to be neatly defined.

Melchior de la Mars, The Lamentation of the Dying Mary Magdalene, c.1622–1629. The dying Mary Magdalene is surrounded and supported by angels. — Melchior de la Mars, *The Lamentation of the dying Mary Magdalene*, c.1622-1629

Gaspar de Crayer, The Penitent Mary Magdalene, c.1640. Mary Magdalene cuts off her long hair, with a skull beside her as a symbol of mortality. — Gaspar de Crayer, *The Penitent Mary Magdalene*, c.1640

Mary Magdalene Washing the Feet of Christ, c.1550. Mary Magdalene washes Christ’s feet during a meal, with a second biblical scene depicted in the background. — *Mary Magdalene Washing the Feet of Christ*, c.1550

Phoebus Focus

Want to know more about The Lamentation of the Dying Mary Magdalene? Our Phoebus Focus publication takes you into the story behind the painting, from its remarkable iconography to the intriguing stories and questions it holds.

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Cover of the Phoebus Focus publication The Lamentation of the Dying Mary Magdalene, exploring Melchior de la Mars’s painting and the power of emotion in the Counter-Reformation.

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