In Frans Francken the Younger’s striking work, Mary Magdalene recoils from seven demonic creatures that are approaching her from the darkness. The Magdalene is recognizable by her long, loose red hair and hallmark jar of ointment, a symbol stemming both from her role as myrrh bearer after the death of Jesus and her conflation with the anointing woman from Luke 7.

Francken’s religious works are often overtly Catholic in tone, so it is not surprising that he has chosen to depict her demons (from Luke 8:2 and Mark 16:9) as the seven deadly sins, after Gregory I’s pronouncement in Homily 33. They are ambiguous hybrids, clearly bearing the influence of Hieronymus Bosch. Though they surround her and the Magdalene is afraid, they seem unable to reach her.

Francken’s work draws upon other popular Counter-Reformation depictions of the penitent Magdalene in the wilderness, which took inspiration from the Golden Legend’s account of the Magdalene’s hermitic later years. These works often present her, as here, isolated in the wilderness, somewhat unkempt, accompanied by a memento mori (the skull that serves as a reminder of mortality), a prayer book or Bible, and a crucifix.

Where the typical penitent Magdalene might meditate on the crucifix and Christ’s suffering, Francken’s brandishes it almost as a weapon, whilst folding her body around it. Just as other works show the Magdalene wrapped around the foot of the actual cross, this is a visual reminder that it is proximity to Christ that protects her. The divine light in the top left corner adds to the light of her halo, while the demons lurk in darkness.

As Luke suggests, these demons no longer have control over her. Yet Francken’s work offers a stark reminder that keeping them at bay requires ongoing work.

References

Gregory the Great. 1990. Forty Gospel Homilies (Cistercian Publications: Kalamazoo, MI)