The Magdalen Anointing Christ's feet.

This 1725 Magdalen Anointing Christ's Feet in the Royal Collection depicts the penitent woman who washed Christ's feet with her tears and anointed them with precious ointment at the house of Simon the Pharisee — the act of extravagant devotion that was traditionally identified with Mary Magdalene's conversion. Ricci's treatment gives this intimate devotional scene his characteristic warmth — the Magdalene's repentant gesture and Christ's forgiving response expressed through his fluid, emotionally nuanced figure style. The Royal Collection's extensive Ricci holdings preserve a comprehensive survey of his religious narrative painting across his final decade.

The intimate devotional scene is rendered with Ricci's luminous late palette, the kneeling Magdalen and seated Christ composed with the theatrical grace that distinguished his treatment of religious subjects.