Circle of MATEO CEREZO (Burgos, 1637-Madrid, 1666). "Penitent Magdalene". Oil on canvas. Reentelado. Presents repainting and restorations. Size: 103 x 85 cm. This canvas represents Mary Magdalene as a penitent in the desert, dressed in a jet robe, on which stands out the red tone of the cape. Although it is not a usual feature, the young woman, who seems to be engrossed in the scriptures, does not have long, flowing hair, alluding to the style of the young woman's life before she met Christ. The saint is represented next to a perfumer, the Holy Scriptures and the skull. Mary Magdalene is mentioned in the New Testament as a distinguished disciple of Christ. According to the Gospels, she housed and provided materially for Jesus and his disciples during their stay in Galilee, and was present at the Crucifixion. She was a witness of the Resurrection, as well as the one in charge of transmitting the news to the apostles. She is also identified with the woman who anointed Jesus' feet with perfumes before his arrival in Jerusalem, so her main iconographic attribute is a knob of essences, like the one shown here. While Eastern Christianity honors Mary Magdalene especially for her closeness to Jesus, considering her "equal to the apostles", in the West the idea developed, based on her identification with other women in the Gospels, that before meeting Jesus she had dedicated herself to prostitution. Hence the later legend narrates that she spent the rest of her life as a penitent in the desert, mortifying her flesh. In art she was preferably depicted in this way, especially in the 17th century, a time when Catholic societies felt a special fascination with the lives of mystics and saints who lived in solitude in wild places, dedicated to prayer and penance. The story of this saint serves as an example of Christ's forgiveness, and conveys the message of the possibility of redemption of the soul through repentance and faith. Mateo Cerezo was trained in Madrid, becoming part of Carreño's workshop. He was an artist in great demand by a varied clientele, especially for his religious painting, although he also tackled other genres. In this sense, the treatise writer and biographer Palomino declared the excellence with which he painted "bodegoncillos, with such superior excellence, that no one surpassed him", a judgment fully corroborated when contemplating the works in the National Museum of San Carlos in Mexico, which are signed and dated. Based on them, Perez Sanchez attributed to him the still life of kitchen bought by the Prado Museum in 1970, a work of obvious Flemish influence that, at times, has led to think of Pereda. The works of this artist from Valladolid have also been pointed out as Cerezo's ancestors, especially in his early creations. We know that in 1659 Cerezo was working in Valladolid, where he left works that were somewhat rougher than those he produced in the following decade. In his works he affirms himself as a faithful follower of Carreño, of whom he became one of his best collaborators. The master showed him the path he himself later followed, following the path of Van Dyck and Titian. Thus, Cerezo develops compositions that open up in wide and complex scenographies, conceived with a distinguished refinement, which is manifested both in the work as a whole and in the smallest details. Like the master of Antwerp, he endows his characters with a rich magnificence in their clothing, applying a fluid and light brushstroke, contrasted by a rich play of light. A superb example of all this is the canvas The Mystical Betrothal of St. Catherine in the Prado, signed and dated 1660.