Georges de La Tour’s Magdalen with the Smoking Flame: A Candlelit Soul
The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame is one of the most haunting nocturnes of the French Baroque, painted by Georges de La Tour around 1635 to 1640. It shows Mary Magdalene alone at night, seated by a single oil lamp, a skull resting in her lap as she gazes into the wavering flame. The painting hangs in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The museum records its medium as oil on canvas.
The scene is utterly still. There is no story being told, no action, only a young woman lost in thought in the dark. La Tour strips away every distraction so that all attention falls on her face, the flame, and the bare skull beneath her hands.
This is Mary Magdalene as the penitent, the woman who, according to tradition, turned from a worldly life to follow Christ and later withdrew to pray in solitude. La Tour shows not her sin or her tears but the long, quiet work of contemplation.
He was the great painter of candlelit night scenes. Readers interested in the saint can also explore our gallery of Mary Magdalene paintings.
The History of the Magdalen with the Smoking Flame
La Tour painted the work in Lorraine around 1635 to 1640, during the years when he perfected his nocturnes lit by a single hidden or open flame. He returned to the figure of the penitent Magdalene several times, and closely related versions of the subject survive, including one in the Louvre in Paris.
The Los Angeles painting is among the finest of these. It later became one of the treasures of LACMA, and is so striking an image that it even appears, copied onto a wall, in Disney’s film The Little Mermaid. More of the painter can be seen in our overview of Georges de La Tour’s paintings.
Mary Magdalene in Thought
The Magdalene sits in profile, her chin resting on one hand, her eyes fixed on the flame. She wears a simple white blouse and a red skirt, the red a quiet echo of her past life and her passion now turned toward God.
La Tour gives her a deep, inward calm. She is not weeping or dramatic, as Baroque saints often are. She is simply thinking, weighing her life against eternity, and the viewer is drawn into that silent meditation rather than watching a scene from the outside.
The Smoking Flame
The single light source is an oil lamp standing on the table, its flame burning tall and giving off a thin trail of smoke. That smoke is the key to the painting’s meaning.
A flame that burns and smokes and will one day go out is an old image for human life, bright but brief. As the Magdalene watches it, she meditates on how quickly life passes. The lamp also recalls the wise virgins of the Gospel parable, who kept their lamps burning while they waited for the Lord.
The Skull and the Books
In her lap rests a human skull, and her hands lie gently upon it. Beside the lamp lie books and a knotted cord, the tools of penance and study.
The skull is a memento mori, a reminder of death, common in paintings of the penitent Magdalene. Far from being grim, here it is held almost tenderly, an object of calm reflection. Together the flame, the skull and the books turn the picture into a quiet meditation on mortality, repentance and the hope of eternal life.
Painting by Candlelight
The lasting power of The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame lies in its light. La Tour builds the whole image from the warm glow of one flame, which carves the figure out of deep shadow and softens every form into stillness.
This radical simplicity sets him apart even among Baroque masters of light. Where Caravaggio used darkness for drama, La Tour uses it for silence and prayer, making the night itself feel sacred.
Conclusion
In The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame, Georges de La Tour created an image of pure contemplation. A young woman, a skull, and a single smoking flame are enough to hold the great themes of life, death and conversion in one quiet room.
Centuries later, in a gallery in Los Angeles, the painting still draws the viewer into its hush, asking them to sit, like the Magdalene, and watch the flame.
Artwork Information
| Artwork | Artist | Date | Medium | Current Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame | Georges de La Tour | c. 1635 to 1640 | Oil on canvas, 117 x 91.8 cm | Los Angeles County Museum of Art |
Five Facts About the Magdalen with the Smoking Flame
- The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame is an oil on canvas by Georges de La Tour, kept at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
- It was painted around 1635 to 1640, during La Tour’s mature period of candlelit night scenes.
- It shows Mary Magdalene as a penitent, meditating by lamplight with a skull in her lap.
- The smoking flame stands for the brevity of human life, and the skull is a reminder of death.
- A closely related version of the subject hangs in the Louvre, and the LACMA painting even appears in Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
FAQ
What does the Magdalen with the Smoking Flame depict?
It shows Mary Magdalene as a penitent, seated alone at night by an oil lamp, with a skull in her lap. The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame is a scene of quiet contemplation rather than action.
What does the skull mean in the painting?
The skull is a memento mori, a reminder of death. In images of the penitent Magdalene it stands for her meditation on mortality and the shortness of earthly life.
What does the smoking flame symbolize?
The single flame, burning and giving off smoke, is an old symbol of human life, bright but brief. It also recalls the lamps of the wise virgins in the Gospel, kept burning in watchful prayer.
Are there two versions of the painting?
Yes. La Tour painted the penitent Magdalene more than once. The version discussed here is at LACMA, while a closely related Magdalene by lamplight is in the Louvre in Paris.
Is this the painting in The Little Mermaid?
Yes. La Tour’s Magdalen with the Smoking Flame is reproduced on a wall in Disney’s 1989 film The Little Mermaid, in the scene where Ariel explores her grotto of treasures.
Where is the Magdalen with the Smoking Flame today?
It is in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Where can I buy a reproduction of Georges de La Tour’s Magdalen with the Smoking Flame?
The shop at jesuschrist.pictures offers museum-quality canvas reproductions of the great Christian paintings, and the collection keeps growing; it is the best place to look for a reproduction of Georges de La Tour’s Magdalen with the Smoking Flame.
