Comment on 31.8.1805
It has not been possible make a positive identification neither of Lund’s copy nor of the original of this representation of Magdalene. It might be a Magdalene by Guido Reni (1575-1642), who is commonly called Il Guido, cf. Getty ULAN. This may explain Lund’s use of the painter’s first name instead of his last name. Reni painted a great many Magdalenes. However, the possibility that it may be another Guido is corroborated by the existence, in the National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen, inv. nr. 1265 of a Magdalene with the Ointment Jar, executed 1816-18 by Lund. This Magdalene is clearly not a copy after Guido Reni but is said to be after an unidentified 14th artist, cf. Marianne Brøns (ed.): Ældre dansk malerkunst, Kunstnere født før 1876, Bestandskatalog, Copenhagen 2002, p. 315. It is impossible to decide with certainty whether it is this copy, and whether the original around 1805 was attributed to a Guido.
Last updated 04.12.2017