Technical details
The altarpiece was originally created for the high altar of the public church of Santa Maria Maddalena in Milan. Following the suppression of the monastery on October 19, 1798, and the subsequent destruction of the church, the painting was transferred to the Gallerie dell’Accademia on July 10, 1809. When it was placed in the church of Santo Stefano in 1889, an arched extension was added to adapt it to its new location.
Retrieved in 2009, the artwork underwent restoration, which brought it closer to its original dimensions. Depicting the Gospel episode of Noli me tangere, the painting features a cartouche with the date and the artist’s signature at Christ’s feet. Its composition remains firmly rooted in the sixteenth-century tradition. However, the artist introduces an original iconographic variation: instead of the usual depiction of the resurrected Christ as a gardener, he is shown wrapped solely in his burial shroud.