Parmigianino Head of a Horse before 1540 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |
Parmigianino Muse placing a Wreath on the Head of Pegasus before 1540 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |
Parmigianino Muse placing a Wreath on the Head of Pegasus before 1540 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |
Parmigianino Frieze with Mythological Figures before 1540 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |
Like the group of Parmigianino drawings from the famous Arundel collection – copied in the 18th century as woodcuts (previous post) after having been carried back to Italy from England – the present group of drawings by the hugely influential Parmigianino also left their land of origin to serve the pleasure and vanity of foreign connoisseurs. These came to rest in the Royal Collection at Windsor, where they have remained.
Parmigianino Putti Embracing before 1540 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |
Parmigianino Two Cupids before 1540 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |
Parmigianino Two Decorative Female Figures balancing Amphorae before 1540 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |
Parmigianino Half-length Study of a Woman before 1540 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |
Parmigianino Death of Lucretia before 1540 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |
"Parmigianino, born Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola in Parma, became Italy's most influential Mannerist painter in his brief twenty-year career. . . . Beginning in 1520, the celebrated Renaissance artist Correggio became his primary inspiration. . . . In 1524 Parmigianino visited Rome to present a self-portrait to Pope Clement VII. There the young artist experienced Raphael and Michelangelo's art at first hand, and his style became more grand, elegant, and noble. Following the Sack of Rome in 1527 Parmigianino escaped to Bologna, but within three years had returned to Parma. . . . At this time, according to some accounts, Parmigianino became a devotee of alchemy, transforming himself into a lunatic and completing little work."
– from curator's notes at the Getty Museum
Parmigianino Studies of Heads before 1540 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |
Parmigianino Profile Study after Antique Cameo before 1540 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |
Parmigianino Hercules in Profile after Antique Cameo before 1540 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |
Parmigianino Head of a Youth in Profile before 1540 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |
Parmigianino Draped Female Figure in Niche before 1540 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |
Parmigianino Virgin and Child before 1540 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |