He leans on the couch and looks down at the woman.
Bible in art · Luke
The Ointment of the Magdalene (Le parfum de Madeleine)
James Tissot · 1886–1894
Brooklyn Museum, New York
Jesus reclines on a cushioned couch at the Pharisee’s table in a white robe, half turned towards a woman who lies on the floor at his feet, her long hair loose over them.
The other guests react: some lean forward, a woman at the back covers her mouth, and the old host on the right sits with his chin on his hand and watches. Tissot called the woman Mary Magdalene, following an old tradition; Luke does not name her.
From the text
- She brings “an alabaster jar of perfume” (Luke 7:37)
- She wets His feet with her tears and wipes them with her hair (Luke 7:38)
The artist’s own
- The woman named as Mary Magdalene, by tradition
- Pillars wound with garlands of flowers
Details
Jesus
The woman
She lies at his feet, wrapped in a striped mantle.
The host
An old man in yellow sits with his hand at his chin.
Guests
People at the table turn to look; one covers her mouth.
James Tissot, French, 1836–1902. Brooklyn Museum, New York (Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.214) · Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper · Brooklyn Museum (Commons file page, «Permission»): "This image was uploaded by the Brooklyn Museum as a content partnership, and is considered to have no known copyright restrictions by the institutions of the Brooklyn Museum." — "No known copyright restrictions".