Vitale da Bologna and Workshop
The Resurrection with Mary Magdalene ("Noli Me Tangere")

Circa 1351-60
Fresco
Pomposa Abbey, Codigoro, Italy

The scene is from John 20:11-18. Mary Magdalene is recognizable by her halo and long, blond hair. John says she thought at first that Jesus was the gardener, a fact the artist expresses by distributing a variety of flowers throughout the terrain. When she recognizes Jesus he says, "Do not touch me, for I am not yet ascended to my Father." This is pictured by the long arms and fingers that Vitale typically uses to express spiritual communication, and by placing her left thumb just barely at the edge of Jesus' mantle.

The Latin for "Do not touch me" is Noli me tangere, a phrase often used to identify the passage and illustrations of it.

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Photographed at the abbey by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.