Mary Magdalene

Barthélemy d'Eyck, active at the court of René of Anjou in the mid-fifteenth century, is one of the most intriguing figures in French Netherlandish painting. His Mary Magdalene panel is generally associated with the Annunciation Triptych of Aix-en-Provence (c. 1442–1445), where Magdalene appeared on one of the outer wings. René of Anjou's court was a centre of cultural ambition, and d'Eyck's paintings for it show a sophisticated awareness of Jan van Eyck's oil technique combined with a French courtly sensibility. The Magdalene, shown as an aristocratic figure with her ointment jar, reflects the courtly re-reading of the penitent saint.

D'Eyck's technique is closely aligned with the early Flemish oil tradition: surfaces built from thin transparent glazes, with exceptional attention to the play of light on different materials. The Magdalene's garment and the ointment jar are rendered with material specificity — the reflection in the jar's surface being particularly noted. Flesh is warm and luminously modelled.