Mary Magdalene
by AGNOLO DI POLO, Gilt and painted terracotta, height 156 cm
This figure of Mary Magdalene is one of the few extant documented works by Agnolo di Polo. It was made for the Ospedale della Morte in Pistoia in 1495. Documents show that the officers of the Sapienza in Pistoia ordered a terracotta figure of Mary Magdalene to be made for the oratory attached to the Ospedale della Morte on August 16, 1495. A local master, Bernardino del Signoraccio, painted the figure next year, 1496.
The figure suffered damage in 1498, and Agnolo repaired it in 1500 and replaced the broken right hand with one in wood.