St Mary Magdalene

In her left hand, the Saint holds a cylindrical ointment-jar. The Gospel of Luke describes how she wet Christ's feet with her tears, dried them with her hair and anointed them with ointment.

Saints are the heroes and heroines of Christian faith. In the 14th and 15th centuries, they were a popular subject for alabaster carvings. Religious themes penetrated private life, so devotional images of saints were sculpted not only for church interiors, but also for individuals to contemplate within the privacy of their homes.