Mary Magdalene

Maker William Morris (British, 1834 - 1896)

Maker Morris and Company (London, British, 1861 - 1940)

Collections

William Morris Collection

ClassificationsDRAWINGS

Dateca. 1862

Mediumbrush and black and brown ink with black chalk and red matte opaque paint, squared with graphite pencil, on two joined papers mounted on cloth

Dimensions48 3/8 × 17 3/4 in. (122.9 × 45.1 cm.) frame: 52 × 21 1/2 in. (132.1 × 54.6 cm.)

DescriptionStained glass cartoon for single lancet. Mary Magdalene stands holding a container of balm/perfume in her right hand. She is wearing a floral patterned gown.

InscribedInscribed in recto upper right: "F. P." in scribed in ink in lower right of recto (covered by frame): "R. 13." [verso inaccessible]

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Label TextMorris & Co. produced furnishings, textiles, wallpapers, ceramics, and printed books. The Firm also produced stained glass windows for churches, as seen in this design for a window depicting Mary Magdalene. The figure’s features are those of Morris’s wife, Jane, whose masses of thick, wavy hair make her one of the most recognizable models of the Pre-Raphaelite circle. Morris’s interest in patterned textiles is evident in the rich pattern of scrolling vines and flowers on her robe. This drawing is a cartoon, used by the craftspeople cutting and painting the glass for the window. The thick outlines around the figure’s head and arm indicate where the sections of glass would be held together by lead (2022).

Status

Not on view

Object number2000.5.516