Quote:
The figure is so amazingly real but the face is a little like "over acting award of the year", however the crispness of the detail within the painting is breathtaking. That sphere top right is wonderful. Roger
Yes Roger,
The figure is totally atypical of Vermeer's production. That and the presence of enigmatic symbols made me think from the start that there are arcane mysteries involved in it.
Keep in mind that all great artists, scientists and intellectuals in Europe, as well as kings, noblemen, and financiers at that time belonged to one or other masonic or Rosicrucian loggias that had been active among the elite at least since the Renaissance onwards. So more than just a representation of the Catholic Faith, or of a repentant Mary Magdalen as suggested by many specialists, I think it might be a rather esoteric representation of the universe as consisting of three worlds - the upper, the middle, and the lower - where the sphere on top represents the Heavens, all the figures in the middle represent the Earth, and the serpent beneath the slab, representing Satan, is the lower or hellish regions. In her struggle to escape from the hellish world, Mary Magdalen is not only assisted by the Catholic symbols of faith but also keeps her eyes on the celestial sphere.
This representation of the universe was common in all European esoteric circles and the same conception can be found in Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy.
Also, according to the "Complete Catalog of Vermeer's Paintings," Vermeer seems to have included the Earth globe - identical to the one depicted in his Geographer (kindly shown by Karen in page 9) - just to depict Mary Magdalen "having the World under her feet". From an artistic point of view, however, I would say it adds character to the entire painting as a central, necessary element. In fact, I cannot imagine the painting without it.
Best Wishes,
Luis Miguel Goitizolo
|