Donatello's statue of Mary Magdalene reveals signs of a rare disease.

Probably suffering from a rare disease: a gaunt face, sunken eyes, long, wiry hair, extremely thin to the point where her muscles and tendons are exposed, an aged appearance, and prominent veins. The Penitent Magdalene sculpted by Donatello between 1453 and 1455 deviates significantly from the classical iconography of the Saint.

Furthermore, upon careful visual analysis, the work exhibits all the hallmarks of lipodystrophy , a disease characterized by the loss of adipose tissue. The Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, together with the Rare Diseases Observatory (OMAR) and the Ministry of Culture, has published a paleopathological study in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation that investigates the link between the famous wooden sculpture, housed in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Florence, and this disease.

Paleopathology

Paleopathology studies ancient diseases through biological remains and indirect sources, such as historical documents and works of art, whose medical interpretation can provide insights into the ancient history of human diseases. This is the case with many Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and South American paintings and sculptures. Part of this field is the study that identified the appearance of Donatello's statue of Mary Magdalene as the symptoms of a person suffering from lipodystrophy, a person who most likely served as a model for the Florentine artist's statue.

The term lipodystrophy refers to a wide variety of rare diseases that, while characterized by different causes and manifestations, all share the loss of subcutaneous adipose tissue. The lack of this particular type of tissue leads to the harmful accumulation of fat near other organs, primarily in the liver (hepatic steatosis). This results in the development of liver dysfunction, metabolic disorders (diabetes and dyslipidemia), and heart problems (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). Lipodystrophies can be hereditary (familial or genetic) or acquired, resulting from other diseases or the use of medications. Furthermore, lipodystrophies are classified as generalized or partial, depending on the extent of adipose tissue loss.