The Penitent Magdalen (c.1640) Georges de La Tour. La Tour’s Penitent Magdalen offers a quieter, more meditative vision of repentance. Stripped of excess, the scene centers on contemplation, marked by familiar symbols: the mirror of vanity, the skull of mortality, and abandoned jewelry – pleasure exchanged for piety. The Met notes this is one of at least four versions La Tour painted of the subject.