A painting of The Penitent Magdalen that recently re-emerged on the market represents an important addition to the series of this subject painted by Titian. Among the known versions of the same typology, the so-called Type II, it is the one that best relates to the image, engraved by Antoine-Louis Romanet and published between 1786 and 1808. It documents a painting in the collection of the Duke of Orléans, as part of the Series ‘Galerie du Palais Royal’. The fact that the painting was once part of the prestigious collection of the Duke of Orléans allows its previous collecting history to be traced, including the collections of Christina, Queen of Sweden – in whose inventories two Magdalens by Titian are listed and only very briefly described – the Odescalchi, and possibly the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II in Prague.

This contribution presents the results of technical examination and scientific analyses carried out on the painting and some observations with respect to Romanet’s engraving and to Titian’s technique, especially regarding the Magdalene series.