Penitent sinner or fiery saint? Mary Magdalene is one of the Bible's most divisive figures. These paintings show why

Known as the "apostle to the apostles”, the controversial and multifaceted saint Mary Magdalene is shrouded in mythology and mystery. What do these artworks reveal about her?

Few biblical figures have fascinated society more than Mary Magdalene, said to be the first person to witness Christ's resurrection and to share the news. For centuries, Magdalene, a follower of Jesus known as the "apostle to the apostles", has maintained a passionate following among religious and secular communities alike, despite the Bible containing relatively few references to her. As a result, the mythology surrounding her has eclipsed who she actually was.

Over time, Magdalene's name has come to represent an amalgamation of different biblical characters and historical ideas, some of which have become more strongly associated with her than the biblical accounts themselves. This is what Mary Magdalene. Sin. Pray. Love., an exhibition opening at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt explores.

"We essentially discovered that there are three Mary Magdalenes in one," says art historian Bastian Eclercy, who has co-curated the exhibition. "One is the nameless sinner, the other one is Mary of Bethany and the third is the biblical Mary Magdalene in the strict sense."

And as its title suggests, the exhibition looks at three key ways Magdalene has been represented. "'Sin' stands for the image of the sinner and penitent that has shaped perceptions over the centuries; 'Pray' for Mary Magdalene as a saint and disciple of Jesus; and 'Love' for the various notions of love, devotion and intimacy associated with her," Eclercy tells the BBC.

Here, we look at 10 works from the exhibition that illustrate the different views on Magdalene – and changing perceptions of women over time. 

The Elevation of Saint Mary Magdalene by Albrecht Dürer (c 1504-05)

In German artist Albrecht Dürer's woodcut print on paper, a nude Magdalene is lifted towards the sky by six angels. The scene is inspired by The Golden Legend, a 13th-Century text by the Italian chronicler and archbishop Jacobus de Voragine. In one of the popular stories included in the legend, Mary retreats to the South of France in search of solitude. "There was no food available in the wilderness, and so seven times a day, she was taken up by angels and elevated into heaven to listen to their music, and that was her food," Eclercy says.

Mary Magdalene at the Tomb by Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo (c 1535-40)

While the Italian oil painting isn't immediately recognisable as Magdalene, for experts, the small vase in the left-hand corner and red dress (broadly associated with sensuality and danger) peeking out from underneath a silver satin cloak has helped to identify her.

"Some people have argued that it could be Mary the Mother [of Christ] because we don't have many obvious tropes, but I think it is Mary Magdalene because we've got that white alabaster jar in it," says Siobhan Jolley, lecturer in Christian studies at the University of Manchester in the UK, who is curating a National Gallery touring exhibition on Mary Magdalene, set to open in 2027. She notes that the jar is associated with the unnamed female "sinner" in the Bible who anointed Jesus's feet.

Artworks through the centuries that depict Magdalene do not, in Jolley's view, tell us........

© BBC