Parmigianino Prints – Sacred Figures, Myth & Drapery
Parmigianino prints organise their figures through elongated contours, turning poses and folds of richly coloured fabric. Hands and small objects often carry the subject within a closely framed arrangement. Explore these compositions alongside Old Master prints, sacred art and mythological subjects, comparing private gestures with larger figure groups.
A seated figure within layered drapery
Madonna and Child with Angels places the child across the central figure’s lap, with smaller faces and architectural details surrounding them. Blue and pale cloth form long, flowing shapes around the body. The varied directions of heads and hands connect the figures within the narrow upright space.
An upward gaze above gathered fabric
Lucretia turns the sitter’s head towards the upper left, with a hand and dagger held low across the foreground. Warm skin and pale cloth emerge from the dark background. The restricted setting makes the raised gaze, bare shoulder and diagonal fabric the principal elements of the image.
A turning body above two smaller figures
Cupid Making His Bow shows the winged figure leaning towards the long bow, with tools and two children below. The twist of the upper body contrasts with the bent legs. A dark background keeps the pale forms and the narrow working objects distinct within the closely gathered arrangement.
Related artists and collections
Compare flowing figures in Sandro Botticelli, concentrated gestures in Leonardo da Vinci and classical narratives in Ubaldo Gandolfi. Further Old Master art extends the historical range, while mythological prints follows the imagined figures and their symbolic objects.
Read more in our guide to Cornelis van Haarlem and Mannerist figures.