The Penitent Magdalen, 1640 by Georges de La Tour
Canvas Print - 22320-GDT

Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Original Size: 133.4 × 102.2 cm

Own a museum-grade giclée Canvas Print of The Penitent Magdalen by Georges de La Tour (1640). It is printed with archival pigments on 400 g/m² canvas and hand-varnished with a UV-protective layer. Set your exact proportional size—anything up to 41.3 × 28.7 in, with optional framing. Free worldwide shipping for rolled artworks. Unframed prints ship within 48 h, framed prints in 7-8 days. Guaranteed 100-year color durability.

The Penitent Magdalen, 1640 | Georges de La Tour | Giclée Canvas Print
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Giclée Canvas Print | $65.44 USD

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SKU:22320-GDT
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Ships Rolled in 2-4 Business Days
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Largest Available
41.3″ × 28.7″
Framing: Long Side Up to 28"
Can be Framed

Sizes scale proportionally to the original. Dimensions shown are for the printed area - we always add 1.2 inches in borders beyond these dimensions for stretching.

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Your Questions Answered: Fine Art Prints, Framing, Care & Delivery

Giclée Print Quality 400 g/m² Canvas (Satin Gloss) + 1.2 in Borders for Stretching 100+ Year Colour Guarantee Free WorldWide Shipping!

Most people search for “canvas print” or “wall art” - but what they’re really looking for is a giclée print: a museum-grade reproduction of the original masterpiece, printed with archival pigment inks on fine art canvas.

Giclée (pronounced 'zhee-clay') is a French term meaning 'to spray,' referring to how ink is precisely sprayed onto canvas or paper, creating incredibly detailed fine art prints. It’s the gold standard in museum-quality printing, loved by artists, galleries, and museums worldwide.

Your artwork will be printed on premium canvas using vibrant archival inks, faithfully capturing every brushstroke and subtle nuance of Georges de La Tour's original. To ensure lasting beauty, each print is finished with a protective UV varnish. Far superior to ordinary posters, your canvas print will look and feel like a real painting, retaining its vivid colors and pristine details for more than 100 years.

About Giclée Fine Art Printing

Here's a simple trick: use painter’s tape to mark the print size directly on your wall, and step back to see how it feels. Generally, larger sizes around 36 in wide work beautifully in living rooms or open spaces. Medium sizes around 24 in fit nicely in bedrooms, hallways, or offices. Hanging it above a sofa? Choose a print that's roughly two-thirds the width of your couch. Still unsure? Start with our popular 21.7 × 15.0 in size—it fits comfortably in most spaces!

For a more artistic approach: choosing a size closer to the original artwork ensures you experience the artist’s intended visual impact and authenticity. Of course, since most of us don't live in spacious baroque palaces, your available space and personal taste should ultimately guide your decision.

In many cases, yes! If you need a specific size to fit a particular space or frame, feel free to reach out—we're happy to see what’s possible. Because each print is made to order, we can often accommodate custom dimensions as long as they respect the proportions of the original painting.Just send us an email at info@topartprint.com with the title of the artwork and the size you're looking for. We’ll get back to you quickly with options and pricing.

Good to know: when you choose the size of your artwork, the Print Size shown in the Your Selection box refers to the actual image area—that’s the part you’ll see once the canvas is stretched or framed.

The Total Size includes an additional 1.2 in white border on each side, added specifically for stretching.
So yes—this white border is added on top of your selected print size. You get the full artwork at the dimensions you picked, plus extra canvas to make stretching smooth and professional.

For example, if you select a 21.7 × 15.0 in print, the full canvas you receive will measure 24.0 × 17.4 in—giving your framer plenty of room to create a clean, gallery-quality stretch.

Both options are wonderful choices! Going unframed gives you maximum flexibility—you can take your print to a local framing shop for personalized options and expert advice tailored to your décor. This is especially great if you have specific design ideas or want to match existing frames in your home.

However, keep in mind that a print truly comes to life when properly framed. Art professionals often say: 'The frame contributes 30% of the artwork’s overall impact.' A well-chosen frame elevates and completes your print.

If you choose our framing option, your print will arrive professionally framed and ready to hang right out of the box. We focus exclusively on traditional framing methods, ensuring every artwork receives the respectful presentation it deserves—this is why we don't offer gallery wrap options.

Important shipping note: Due to courier restrictions, we can ship framed prints up to 28 in on the longest side. Larger prints will arrive safely rolled in a tube, ready for you to frame locally.

For more detailed information, please see our complete guide to fine art framing methods.

We've carefully selected this premium canvas because it brings out the absolute best in Georges de La Tour's work. Made from natural cotton with a 400 g/m² weight, it has just the right texture to capture every brushstroke and detail of the original painting.

What makes our canvas special? The satin-gloss finish. Think of how paintings look in museums with that beautiful varnish—that's exactly the effect we're going for. This glossy surface makes colors pop with incredible vibrancy while giving deep, rich blacks that matte canvases simply can't achieve. The result? Your print has that authentic 'real painting' look with extraordinary depth and life.

Plus, our canvas is acid-free and pH-neutral, so it'll stay beautiful for generations. We believe The Penitent Magdalen deserves nothing less than this museum-quality treatment.

Every print is made just for you—no mass production here! Once you place your order, we begin creating your The Penitent Magdalen print with care and precision.

Unframed prints are crafted in 2–4 business days.
Framed prints take 7–8 business days to build and finish.

Shipping options:
Standard Delivery (Free): Up to two unframed prints per order, provided that the short side does not exceed 59 cm (approx. 23 inches), with delivery in 10–14 working days.
Express Shipping: Delivered in 2–4 working days; costs vary by weight, volume, and destination. After adding the artwork to your cart, use the Shipping estimates tool there for exact pricing.

Note for framed prints: Because they’re bulkier and higher-value, framed artworks ship only via express tracked service and do not qualify for free standard delivery.

Packaging:
Unframed prints: Safely rolled in postal tubes.
Framed prints: Packed in reinforced boxes with corner protectors and bubble wrap.

You’ll receive a tracking number as soon as your order leaves our studio—so you can follow every step of its journey!

It’s super easy! Your giclée print is designed to last over 100 years when properly displayed. We’ve already applied a UV-protective varnish, so there’s no need for any extra treatments on your part.

Just follow these simple tips:
  • Hang your print away from direct sunlight and high humidity
  • Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth if needed
  • Avoid touching the printed surface directly
  • Keep the room temperature relatively stable
That’s it! With these basic precautions, your Georges de La Tour print will retain its vibrant colors and pristine condition for generations to come.

We want you to truly love your art. Since each piece is custom-made just for you, we kindly recommend double-checking the size and details before placing your order. But if something’s not right—especially in terms of quality—we’re here to help and will make it right.

We offer a 30-day return policy and accept returns for items damaged during shipping. Our return process is simple and straightforward:
Step 1 – Let us know: Send an email to info@topartprint.com with your order number and a brief explanation of the issue.
Step 2 – Send it back: We’ll reply with clear instructions for returning the print. Please return it in its original packaging and in good condition. You cover return shipping (unless we sent a damaged/incorrect item). After inspection, we'll send a replacement or refund the product price.
Please note: shipping costs are non-refundable.

For framed artworks: Since framed prints are handcrafted specifically for your order, returns are accepted only at our discretion and require a valid reason. But don’t worry—our support team is friendly, responsive, and ready to assist.

About the Painting

A single candle does all the work in this room – and what astonishing work it does. Its flame, doubled in the mirror behind it, is the sole source of warmth and visibility in Georges de La Tour's The Penitent Magdalen, a painting so quiet you can almost hear the wax melting. Everything beyond that small circle of golden light falls into darkness so absolute it feels physical, like velvet pressed against the eyes.

Mary Magdalen sits in profile, her face turned toward the mirror but her gaze seeming to pass through it entirely. Her hands rest on a skull in her lap – not clutching it in horror but holding it with a strange, almost tender familiarity. That skull is the painting's emotional center, more so even than her face, which is partly lost in shadow. One hand cups the cranium; the other lies across it, fingers loosely interlaced. The gesture is contemplative rather than theatrical, a woman alone with mortality rather than performing grief for an audience.

Tour's palette is deliberately narrow. Warm sienna and amber tones dominate wherever the candlelight reaches – the folds of her white chemise, the red fabric draped across her lap, the ornate gilded frame of the mirror. Beyond that, near-total black. No background detail, no architectural hint, no sky. The compression is radical. Where a painter like Caravaggio would have populated the darkness with secondary figures or dramatic gestures, La Tour strips the scene to its essential elements: woman, skull, flame, mirror.

The red cloth deserves attention. It cascades from her waist downward in a long diagonal, the most saturated color in the composition, and it carries symbolic weight – this is the luxury she is renouncing. Nearby on the table sit pearls, and on the floor what appears to be a small piece of jewelry. These worldly objects are placed at the painting's edges, already marginal, already abandoned.

Perhaps the most arresting detail is the mirror itself. It does not reflect the Magdalen. It reflects only the candle, giving us two flames instead of one, and the skull's profile appears just at the mirror's lower edge. Vanity's instrument shows her nothing of herself – only light and death. That inversion feels deliberate and deeply considered.

Technically, Georges de La Tour achieves his effects through smooth, almost porcelain-like surfaces. There is no visible brushwork to speak of, no impasto, no bravura handling. Forms emerge from darkness with the precision of carved ivory. The chemise's fabric folds are rendered with a geometric clarity that simplifies nature into something approaching abstraction. This tendency – reducing the human figure and its setting to purified, essential shapes – set Tour apart from the more turbulent Caravaggisti of Rome and Naples. His tenebrism is quieter, cooler in temperament, rooted in the Lorraine tradition of contemplative devotion rather than Mediterranean drama.

Standing before this painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one senses not spectacle but stillness. The air feels heavy with silence. The Magdalen's penance is not anguished; it is settled, as if she has already crossed some interior threshold. The candle will burn down. The skull will remain. And that long red sash, catching the last of the light, will eventually fade into the surrounding dark like everything else she has chosen to leave behind.

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