Collections: European Art: The Ointment of the Magdalene (Le parfum de Madeleine)

• Download
• Add to set
• Favorite
• Posse icon
• Share
• Print

The Ointment of the Magdalene (Le parfum de Madeleine)

• Portfolio/Series: The Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ (La Vie de Notre-Seigneur Jésus-Christ)

Mary Magdalene kneels before Christ and anoints his feet, wiping away the excess oil with her hair, a gesture of deference and devotion. The disciples—especially Judas Iscariot, Tissot notes, in a commentary based on John’s account—are indignant at the gesture’s expense, asking could not this costly ointment be sold and its profits given to the poor? However, Jesus defends Mary’s prescience: “She did it,” he tells them, “for my burial.”


• Artist: James Tissot, French, 1836-1902
• Medium: Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper
• Place Made: France
• Dates: 1886-1894
• Dimensions: Image: 8 3/4 x 10 15/16 in. (22.2 x 27.8 cm) Sheet: 8 3/4 x 10 15/16 in. (22.2 x 27.8 cm)
• Signature: Signed bottom right: "J.J. Tissot"
• Collections: European Art
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Robert E. Blum Gallery, 1st Floor
• Accession Number: 00.159.214
• Credit Line: Purchased by public subscription
• Image: Overall, 00.159.214_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2007
James Tissot (French, 1836-1902). The Ointment of the Magdalene (Le parfum de Madeleine), 1886-1894. Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, Image: 8 3/4 x 10 15/16 in. (22.2 x 27.8 cm) Sheet: 8 3/4 x 10 15/16 in. (22.2 x 27.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.214 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 00.159.214_PS2.jpg)