The Magdalen Anointing Christ's Feet

This 1717 Magdalen Anointing Christ's Feet in the Royal Collection was painted during or shortly after Ricci's London sojourn of 1712–1716, during which he decorated Burlington House with mythological frescoes for the Earl of Burlington. The subject—Mary Magdalene washing and anointing Christ's feet at the house of Simon the Pharisee—carries the double weight of penitence and devotion, the Magdalene's role as reformed sinner making her one of the most psychologically resonant figures in the Baroque repertoire. Ricci treats the scene with characteristic warmth of color and fluid brushwork. The Royal Collection acquired several works from this English period, documenting Ricci's significant though brief impact on British painting.

The devotional scene is rendered with Ricci's characteristic luminous warmth, the intimate encounter between the penitent Magdalen and Christ painted with the fluid brushwork and warm tones that define his religious painting.