Saint Mary Magdalene borne by Angels possibly about 1520-1
Giulio Romano (c.1499–1546) and Gianfrancesco Penni (c.1496–c.1528)
The National Gallery, London
(b Florence, c.1496; d Naples, ?c.1536). Italian painter, active mainly in Rome, where he and Giulio Romano were Raphael's main assistants (he was nicknamed Il Fattore, which might be translated as ‘right-hand man’). Various parts of works by the master have been attributed to him (Vasari says he was employed on the tapestry cartoons for the Sistine Chapel), but he is a shadowy figure. After Raphael's death he collaborated with Giulio. A rare signed work by Penni is the Portrait of a Young Man (NG, Dublin).
Text source: The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford University Press)
