Plaster replica of a 15th century statue of Mary Magdalene 1880 – 1900 SOLD

When we found this stunning sculpture in a small shop in Luxembourg we immediately fell in love with her. The beauty of her young face, the way her robe folds around her and her remarkable headwear… we had to take her home with us. This refined plaster statue represents Mary Magdalene. It is a replica of a wooden statue made by the well known Belgian sculptor Jan Borman. When we bought her there were a few cracks in the plaster but she has been carefully restored since then.

Dimensions

• Heigth: 56,5 cm
• Width: 21 cm
• Length: 11 cm

The original was made in a Brussels workshop and dates from the last years of the 15th century. The saint wears a turban that is held by a strap under the chin and frames the face. This arrangement draws attention to the lovely detailed face. The high, convex forehead, sharply drawn eyelids, small nose and fine chin characterize the youthful face. 

In the story Mary Magdalene embalmed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her long hair, that is why she is often presented with an ointment jar in her hand and long hair. In this image you can also observe ‘the features of Mary of Burgundy (1457-1482)’ as known from the mausoleum in the O.-L.-Vrouwkerk in Bruges. Mary of Burgundy died at the age of 25 and was widely loved for her youth, for her beauty, softness and untimely adversity. The wooden model of her statue was also created by Jan Borman.