A refined and intense Baroque painting on an octagonal canvas,
originally intended for the private studioli (study rooms) of the Medicean nobility.
The composition depicts Saint Mary Magdalene partially undressed,
bathed in a strong, theatrical, raking light.
The saint turns her moist eyes upward with extraordinary emotional pathos,
while a monumental skull—a classic iconographic element of Vanitas—emerges in the lower right.
A brilliant blue drapery partially wraps her arms,
characterized by sculptural folds that reflect the light in a metallic fashion.
The work closely mirrors the famous prototype of the octagonal Magdalene by Francesco Furini.
However, the full-bodied pictorial draftsmanship, the strong plastic relief of the nude,
and the sharp drawing of the facial features open a solid attributive path toward
the hand of Giovanni Martinelli (1600–1659).
The dimensions of the canvas (73x87 cm) confirm its status as a native work,
perfectly matching the fixed "da quarto" standard format
regularly used by the main Florentine workshops of the time.
The painting stands out for its exceptionally genuine state of preservation:
it retains its original 17th-century first canvas in raw hemp or linen, unlined.
The front surface features an old protective varnish naturally oxidized by time,
a light cleaning of which would restore the original silvery luminosity of the flesh tones.
