These panels were originally part of a triptych that portrayed the Crucifixion on the center panel. The Virgin Mary and St. Francis stood on either side of the cross. It was the altarpiece in the Valori chapel in the church of San Procolo in Florence. The center panel was on display in a Berlin museum until it was destroyed in a 1945 bombing raid. Intense emotional passion is represented in Lippi’s works, and it foreshadows the expressiveness of 16th century artistic works.
This is an example of representing Mary Magdalene as the “penitent Mary,” which is a tradition that misidentifies her with Mary of Egypt, who lived in solitary repentance centuries later. This version of Mary Magdalene is often shown with long hair that covers her gaunt body. This painting shows her hands crossed over her heart as she humbly gazes downward. Crossed arms in prayer is thought to have begun in Latin Orthodoxy. When one’s hands are crossed over their heart, it represents a reverent heart that is guarded from the outside world and reserved only for Christ. More details on this theme can be found in the descriptions of similar representations of Mary Magdalene in the Visual Museum.