Mary Magdalene contemplates a skull—signifying the brevity of life and vanity of human endeavors— in a composition that combines spirituality with sensuality. Tears sparkle on her cheek, and golden hair falls about her shoulders. Named in the Bible among the women who discover the empty tomb of Christ, Mary Magdalene was later characterized by Pope Gregory I as a reformed prostitute and confused with both Mary of Bethany and the woman who washes Jesus’s feet with her tears in the Gospel of Luke. This understanding of the saint as a sinner redeemed by her act of care took root in Catholic tradition, inspiring generations of artists.