About the Artist

Parmigianino (1503 Parma-1540 Casal Maggiore), whose actual name was Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola, spent his apprenticeship in Parma, where he was also chiefly active in the ensuing years. He lived in Rome Between 1523 and 1527, and afterward moved to Bologna, finally returning to his native city in 1531. The last several years of Parmigianino's short life were spent in Casal Maggiore near Parma. He painted portraits as well as mythological and history paintings, and also carried out many commissions for frescoes and preliminary designs for prints. Parmigianino was influenced by Correggio, Raphael, and Michelangelo. The figures in his paintings are developed with great elegance, and typically show elongated proportions. His coloration varies, sometimes approaching the garish. Other works by the artist include Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror, 1523, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna; Portrait of a Lady (Antea), 1524-1527, Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples; and Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden.