GIOTTO di Bondone
(b. 1267, Vespignano, d. 1337, Firenze)

No. 37 Scenes from the Life of Christ: 21. Resurrection (Noli me tangere)

1304-06
Fresco, 200 x 185 cm
Cappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua

Mary Magdalene recognizes Christ on Easter morning in front of the open tomb. She attempts to speak to her Lord and to touch him. He refuses, with the words "Touch me not". Giotto depicts the in-between status of Christ - no longer of this world, but not yet of the next world — through the wavering posture and the delicate coloring. The contrast with Mary Magdalene and the sleeping soldiers heightens this impression.