The Pieta with Mary Magdalene
Second half of the XVII century. Oil on canvas.Not on display
The body of Christ rests in the arms of the Virgin who, almost in profile to the left, raises her eyes to heaven. On the left of the composition, the weeping Magdalene contemplates the body of the Lord.
This canvas is an extremely important contribution to our knowledge of its author and of Sevillian painting of his time as well. In this work, Nuñez de Villavicencio shows himself to be completely estranged from the aesthetics and technique of Murillo, and validates some of the historical claims about him: he was a disciple of the Calabrian Mattia Preti, whom he met in Malta. Villavicencio lived in Malta from 1662 onwards, after joining the Order of Saint John, and remained until 1675, when he returned to Seville for good. This work is signed and dated, although the last figure of the date cannot be clearly read. It can be stated that this work belongs to the author´s mature period, painted perhaps after Murillo´s death. In any case, this work is not at all in keeping with what was considered to be usual in Seville in the 1680s. (Pérez Sánchez, A. E. in: Museo del Prado. Adquisiciones de 1978 a 1981. [Museo del Prado. Acquisitions from 1978 to 1981]. Madrid, 1981, no. 14 and Catálogo de las pinturas. Museo del Prado, 1996, p. 441).
