Guercino Maddalena due angeli. 17th century painting

that great Lady penitent of her vanities and her errors, kneeling on hard ground praying for forgiveness for her sins, and two Angels watching over her penitence, holding before her gaze the nails with which the Redeemer was fixed to the Cross, and to indicate to her the certain hope that she should have regarding her own well-being, one of them points to Heaven and comforts her in the midst of her misery that she might gain earthly happiness (Battista Passeri, 1773, Hess 1935 ed., p. 352)