She sits in complete stillness, her head tilted, eyes closed, her lips parted. Her hands, fingers intertwined, rest gently across her chest. Draped in soft, earth-toned fabric, her long hair spills loosely around her in an almost messy way. This is ‘Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy’ by the famous Italian Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio and it was unveiled with much fanfare at the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre on the weekend.
Believed to have been painted in 1606, the original work was lost for centuries — known only through imitations — before it resurfaced in 2014. Magdalene, who has been interpreted variously as a mystic, a helpmeet, a woman who befriended Jesus and was a witness to his Crucifixion, has been depicted in multiple versions by Caravaggio—and this one has been authenticated by art historian Mina Gregori, who has written extensively on his work.
"Bringing Caravaggio to India has been a long-standing dream of mine," says Andrea Anastasio, director of the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre. When he found out the painting was in Beijing just two and a half months ago, he moved quickly to secure it. “Even with such short notice, we had to try. We bypassed bureaucracy, managed logistics, and coordinated across institutions — but it was worth it.”
Caravaggio’s painting belongs to the Baroque period, which spanned from the early 17th century to the mid-18th century. In the painting, Magdalene, a loyal follower of Jesus, is the only figure in the frame. Her expression is not one of pain, but of surrender — to something larger than herself. She could be experiencing grief, ecstasy, or divine revelation. Yet, Caravaggio deliberately leaves it ambiguous.
“If you look at this one painting all by itself — ‘the Ecstasy of Mary Magdalene’ — it’s striking how one subject, one single figure reveals so much about Caravaggio as a painter,” says Roobina Karode, director and chief curator, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. The background is pitch dark, but Magdalene is bathing in light when everything around her is engulfed in darkness. “Your focus is entirely on Magdalene , because every other detail is obscured . The setting is unknown. We do not know where she’s sitting. The theatrical play of heightened chiaroscuro creates a sense of mystery,” adds Karode.
Chiaroscuro, a term, meaning ‘light-dark’ in Italian, is used in visual art to create strong contrasts between illumination and shade. Caravaggio lets light fall like a spotlight on Magdalene, her skin almost glowing against the shadow — it feels intimate, like candlelight in a quiet room.
There’s no golden halo or overt symbols of holiness. This quiet rejection of the expected is part of why Caravaggio was once considered radical — even controversial — for his time. His nuanced, deeply human portrayal of religious figures broke away from idealised norms.
"Before Caravaggio, biblical subjects were painted in a very idealistic way — Christ with a halo, Mother Mary surrounded by angels," says Karode. "These were artistic traditions tied to religious conventions. But Caravaggio broke away from all of that. He attempted to bring sacred narratives closer to the lived experience of people."
Caravaggio painted Christ, the apostles, and Magdalene not as flawless divine beings, but as people with emotion, flesh-and-blood vulnerability. His psychological realism was strikingly different from the Renaissance painters. "He defied long-standing rules of how to paint holy figures," adds Karode.
Why now?
On the significance of showing ‘Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy’ in India, Karode says, “Art does not have an expiry date. Some works are truly timeless in the way they continue to inspire us. These are masterpieces of a particular era, but they speak to human emotion across generations and geographies.”
“Caravaggio is important because his work changed the course of Western art history,” says Anastasio. “Bringing him to India introduces audiences here to a key figure who paved the way for modernity in art.” He sees this as more than just an exhibition — it’s cultural diplomacy in action. “It brings people together, creates a direct, tangible space for dialogue,” says Anastasio.
He also highlights the value of cultural exchange in a broader geopolitical context. “India and Italy are not just countries — they are civilisations. Ancient ones that have been in conversation since the Roman Empire. This unveiling is part of that long, ongoing relationship.”
‘Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy’ will be on view at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Saket, from April 18 to May 18