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| Title | Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalen | |
| Original Translation | Noli me Tangere | |
| Collection | Salford Museum and Art Gallery | |
| Artist | After Solimena, Francesco (Italian painter and draftsman, 1657-1747) Previously attributed to Cortona, Pietro da (Italian draftsman and painter, 1596-1669) Previously attributed to Giordano, Luca (Italian painter, 1634-1705, active in Italy and Spain) |
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| Date Earliest | about 1700 | |
| Date Latest | about 1800 | |
| Description | After Christ's Resurrection, He appeared to Mary Magdalene who, having left the empty tomb, saw in the garden someone she took for the gardener but whom she realised was the risen Christ. When she approached she was told not to touch Him. Various versions of this composition exist both by Solimena and by artists within his studio. Solimena dominated the artistic life of Naples and introduced a more classical style in the wake of Giordano's exuberant Baroque manner. His style reflects a response to Preti's expressive chiaroscuro (extreme contrasts of light and dark), yet the general direction of Solimena's work during the 1690s was towards a more classical preoccupation with clarity of design and expressive gesture. | |
| Current Accession Number | 1870-3 | |
| Subject | religion (Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene) | |
| Measurements | 103.5 x 76.2 cm cm (estimate) | |
| Material | oil on canvas | |
| Acquisition Details | Given by Edward S. Heywood 1870. | |
| Principal Exhibitions | Neopolitan, Baroque and Rococo Painting, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, 1962, cat. no. 67. | |
| Publications | Neopolitan, Baroque and Rococco Painting, Barnard Castle, 1962, no. 67. | |
| Notes | The primary autograph work may be that in the collection of Wilfred Blunt, reproduced in the exhibition catalogue of Neopolitan, Baroque and Rococo Painting, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, 1962. In the index the work is noted as also 'being engraved by P.A. Kilian, 1758', and it was also engraved (in reverse) by A. Wagner. Studio versions include those in the Museo Nazionale, Warsaw and those offered for sale at Phillip's, London 14 November 1997, lot. 15, and Sotheby's, London, 17 May 1989, lot. 87. Mary Magdalene's profile in this work is closest to that depicted in the Blunt collection, of which this is believed to be a copy. However, the composition of the Salford work has been simplified and cropped removing any extraneous detail such as putti in the sky. The two works are clearly by different artists, with the Salford painting exhibiting an economy of modulated tones to produce dramatic effects of modelling. A.C.Sewter (Manchester University), 1954, stated that the work had previously been attributed to Pietro da Cortona (Pietro Berrettini), and to Luca Giordano. Sewter's opinion was that 'this work is certainly much later than Pietro da Cortona, certainly Neopolitan and very probably an early work by Solimena.' Descriptive notes taken from: Brigstock, H., 'Solimena, Francesco', Grove Art Online, Oxford University Press, 17 May 2006, http://www.groveart.com/. | |
| Rights Owner | Salford Museum and Art Gallery | |
| Author | Lisa Howard | |