This touching polychrome terracotta bust depicts Saint Mary Magdalene and is attributed to Giovanni Bandini, who created it in the second half of the sixteenth century. Its original placement is unknown, and there are no records of any particular liturgical significance associated with it.
In the absence of documentation, the identification with Mary Magdalene is based on certain iconographic details. The beauty and youthfulness of the face, combined with the flowing locks escaping from beneath the veil — elements traditionally associated with female seduction — refer to the tradition that identifies Magdalene, a disciple of Christ, with the redeemed adulterous woman, saved from stoning and converted, as well as with the sinner who, in the house of the Pharisee, anointed Jesus’ head with perfumed oil, fell at his feet, washed them with her tears, and dried them with her hair (Luke 7:36-50).
The loose hair thus emphasizes the saint’s conversion, recalling both her past life and her repentance. Her lovely face, although marked by a certain attractiveness, appears severe and contrite, as if “purified” from the unruly passions of sin. The paleness of her complexion, the languid expression, and the redness of her eyes seem to allude to the moment of conversion; likewise, the veil that covers her head, red on the outside and purple on the inside, together with the black garment, take on a symbolic value of penitence.
A second reading might see the saint depicted in tears beneath the crucifixion, or as a witness to the deposition of Christ from the cross: the anguished tilt of her head and her tear-filled eyes cast downward could ideally be directed toward the body of the Master.