1730
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Drawing from the Ionides Album is a 1730 by Parmigianino, a Baroque work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This drawing shows four figures standing close together. The two women on the left have flowing hair and draped clothes, while the man on the right wears a loose robe. A child leans against the woman in the middle, looking up. The scene feels intimate, with soft curves and gentle shading. The artist used a technique called *stippling*—tiny dots packed together to create shadows and texture. It’s a way to build up dark and light areas without harsh lines. Look up *stippling* to see how artists use dots to make depth.
The drawing, executed in pen and ink with wash, depicts two women conversing with a bearded man, while another bearded figure stands behind them and a child appears in the lower left corner; all figures are draped in classical attire. An inscription below identifies the work as a later copy after Parmigianino. The sheet, folio 47v from the Ionides Album, features a black ink border and is part of an 18th or early 19th-century album containing both prints and drawings.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (11 January 1503 – 24 August 1540), also known as Francesco Mazzola or, more commonly, as Parmigianino (UK: , US: , Italian: ; "the little one from Parma"), was an Italian Mannerist…
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