The painting, which is over four centuries old, is on display at the city museum on its India tour for a limited period

Italian artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio's 'Magdalene in Ecstasy'  has come to Mumbai in a delightful collaboration between Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura (IIC) Mumbai

Curated by Andrea Anastasio and Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, the painting from around 1606 is a beautiful masterpiece that has been making many Mumbaikars and visitors at the museum curious. While some are changing upon it, others are in awe of its colours and stood to pose in front of it

The beauty of the oil on canvas painting is in its composition, according to critics, as it shows St Mary Magdalene painted by the baroque artist, while hiding in the latter part of his life between 1571 to 1610

Aided with leaflets, Mumbaikars and visitors such as Punekar Nafisa Shaikh, who came with her art enthusiast hearing and speech-impaired son, found joy in discovering the painting while on a regular visit to the museum. The leaflet and board at the entrance not only describe the history of the painting but also the different elements of the painting that make it unique including the hands, face, eyes, the mouth and nose, red hair and shoulder, the red cloak and blouse, and last but not the least, the cross and skull

The L’invenzione della luce-The invention of light: Caravaggio’s ‘Magdalene in Ecstasy’ is on display at Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai till November 2