Christ Appearing to the Magdalen (1480–90): Art, History and Details

Christ Appearing to the Magdalen (1480–90) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Martin Schongauer (German, c. 1450–1491).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

According to the Gospel of John, right after his resurrection, Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene, who had come to anoint his body at his tomb. At first, she mistook Christ for a gardener. When he revealed himself, he said to Magdalene, "Noli me tangere" (Touch me not) and invited her to inform the apostles that he was ascending to his Father. Schongauer conveys the emotion and surprise of the Magdalen by showing her drapery flying behind her in the wind.

Object facts

• Title: Christ Appearing to the Magdalen
• Date: 1480–90
• Creator attribution: Martin Schongauer (German, c. 1450–1491)
• Culture: Germany
• Type: Print
• Technique: engraving
• Dimensions: Sheet: 15.9 x 15.9 cm (6 1/4 x 6 1/4 in.)
• Collection: PR - Engraving
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1956.743

A detail from the museum

The fence shown in this print is called wattle fencing, a type known since antiquity and used primarily to contain livestock during the late Middle Ages.

Collection credit

The Fanny Tewksbury King Collection

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.