 Van der Weyden 's pose for the Magdalene is similar to a number of female religious figures painted by his master Robert Campin or his workshop . It closely resembles , in theme and tone , the figure of Saint Barbara in Campin 's <unk> Altarpiece , and also the Virgin in an <unk> attributed to Campin in Brussels . Typically for a van der Weyden , the Magdalen 's face has an almost sculpted look , and the elements of her clothes are conveyed in minute detail . She wears a green robe ; in medieval art the Magdalene is usually depicted naked ( sometimes clad only in her long hair ) or in richly coloured dress , typically red , blue or green , almost never in white . Her robe is tightly pulled below her bust by a blue sash , while the gold <unk> of her <unk> is adorned by a jewelled <unk> . Art critic Charles <unk> observed that the Magdalen 's past as a " fallen woman " is hinted at by the <unk> in the fur lining of her dress and the few strands of hair loose from her veil . <unk> wrote , " Even her fingers , absent @-@ <unk> <unk> , suggest <unk> . In her mix of purity and <unk> , van der Weyden 's Magdalen feels whole ; but she isn 't . " In the medieval period , fur symbolized female sexuality and was commonly associated with the Magdalene . Medieval historian Philip <unk> explains that artists such as <unk> and <unk> often portrayed the Magdalen in furs and notes that she " is noticeably dressed in fur @-@ lined garments in The Magdalen Reading by Rogier van der Weyden " . 
