Christ addressing a Kneeling Woman

This early work was possibly painted for the side wall of a chapel. The kneeling woman who holds her loosened hair and whose necklace is unfastened is thought to represent Mary Magdalene discarding her jewels or preparing to anoint Christ. The painting has also been thought to represent Christ and the woman taken in adultery. A more likely hypothesis is that it represents the New Testament story about 'the woman with an issue of blood' who touched Christ's garment in the hope of of a cure while a crowd thronged around him. When Christ asked who had touched him she confessed to what she had done, whereupon he cured her with the words: 'Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole' (Mark 5: 24-34).