The exhibition Magdalena. Ni santa, ni pecadora (Mary Magdalene. Neither Saint nor Sinner), organized by the Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia, takes a new look at Mary Magdalene, a key figure in the construction of representations of women in the history of Western art, defying the conventions of the time and embodying such apparently contradictory concepts as sin and sainthood, sensuality and spirituality. Focused primarily on Baroque painting, the exhibition is divided into five sections featuring works by such distinguished artists as Jusepe de Ribera, Anthony van Dyck, Gerard Seghers, El Greco and Francisco de Zurbarán.

For the occasion, the BBVA Collection is lending two of its seventeenth-century Flemish paintings: Jesus in the House of Martha and Mary (c. 1640-1650) by Matthijs Musson and Christ and the Adulteress (c. 1620-1622) by Anthony van Dyck. The two works depict episodes from the Gospel revolving around female figures that invite us to think more deeply about the distinct interpretations of women in the Christian tradition and how they were represented within Baroque art.

The work by Matthijs Musson, influenced by his master Rubens, contrasts Mary, listening attentively to Jesus Christ, with her sister Martha, engrossed in household tasks and surrounded by a lavish display of the still-life scenes so characteristic of Flemish painting. Their contrasting attitudes prompt a reflection on the spiritual and the earthly, and on models of female behaviour. Meanwhile, Christ and the Adulteress depicts a famous episode from the Gospel in which a group of men bring a woman accused of adultery before Christ with the expectation that he will condemn her. Although the characters depicted in these scenes are not necessarily identified with Mary Magdalene, the two paintings offer insights into the distinct identities, attitudes, expectations and values associated with female figures in Western religious iconography.