Maria Magdalena geknield aan de voet van het kruis met Christus. NL-HlmNHA 1477 53009990

A kneeling Mary Magdalene, identified by her long hair and ointment jar, gazes upward at Christ on the cross in a landscape setting. The foreground contains a skull and femur bone, traditional symbols of mortality, while the distant background shows a circular temple in an idealized city. The engraving uses dynamic, rhythmic lines typical of the Haarlem Mannerist style to emphasize the emotional intensity of the scene.

This engraving originates from the circle of Hendrick Goltzius, whose work bridged the gap between religious devotion and the sophisticated artistic theories of the late Northern Renaissance. The print incorporates memento mori themes through the inclusion of the skull, a common element in esoteric and philosophical meditations on the vanity of the physical world and the necessity of spiritual transformation.