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 resemble , in theme and tone , the figure of Saint Barbara in Campin 's Werl Altarpiece , and also the Virgin in an Annunciation attributed to Campin in Brussels . Typically for a van der Weyden , the Magdalen 's face have an almost sculpted look , and the elements of her clothes are conveyed in minute detail . She wear 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 brocade of her underskirt is adorned by a jewelled hem . Art critic Charles Darwent observed that the Magdalen 's past as a " fallen woman " is hinted at by the nap in the fur lining of her dress and the few strands of hair loose from her veil . Darwent wrote , " Even her fingers , absent @-@ mindedly circled , suggest completeness . In her mix of purity and eroticism , van der Weyden 's Magdalen feel whole ; but she isned 't . " In the medieval period , fur symbolized female sexuality and was commonly associated with the Magdalene . Medieval historian Philip Crispin explain that artists such as Memling and Matsys 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 " .