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) - 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
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.”
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