Episodes from the Lives of Mary Magdalene and Saint John the Baptist
1359 - 1362. Tempera on panel.Room A
An altar with bible stories from the life of Mary Magdalene. The upper part shows a dinner at Simon´s house, when Mary Magdalene washed Christ´s feet with perfume and rinsed it with her own tears and hair (Luke 7, 36-50). The scene on the left shows the Holy Women´s visit to Christ´s Tomb, which they find empty. There, an angel announces the Resurrection to them (Mark 16, 1-8; Matthew 28, 1-7; Luke 24, 1-8). On the right is a representation of “Noli me tangere,” when Mary Magdalene witnesses the first apparition of Christ Resurrected (Mark 16, 9-11). Finally, the fourth scene represents Mary Magdalene´s transit, a passage from her legend in which, according to tradition, she was carried to Heaven by angels at the moment of her death. The predella of this altarpiece shows Saint Peter and Saint Dominic dressed in Dominican habits, and a bishop wearing his miter. This panel, along with its companion, the Stories of Saint John the Baptist (P03107), were the sides of the altarpiece of the shrine of Nuestra Señora de Tobed (Zaragoza). Its central panel included the Virgin, the Christ Child and King Enrique II of Castile (1333-1379), who was the donor.
