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Oil on canvas This excellent Baroque painting refers to the type of depiction of Mary Magdalene as mentioned in later legends. One frequent subject is the story of Magdalene's passage to Provence, where she spent many years as a hermit living in a cave in Saint-Baume. This is one of the stories from Jacobus de Voragine's The Golden Legend, which was a rich source of inspiration for artists. One of Magdalene's steady traits is the alabaster vessel or vase she holds in her hands, filled with the precious oil with which she rubs Jesus' feet. Set in a dark cave, this scene shows Magdalene as a bareheaded penitent with sorrowful eyes, dressed in a gracefully draped mantle. According to the Golden Legend, the two angels in the background came down to Earth seven times a day and lifted her up to Heaven, where she could experience the bliss prepared for the just and righteous.