1522
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Virgin and Child is a 1522 ink by Parmigianino, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This black-and-white print shows a woman holding a baby while another small child reaches toward them. The woman’s face is turned slightly away, and her hands gently support the baby. The background is full of rough, textured lines, almost like a stormy sky or tangled branches. The artist used a technique that lets ink sit in carved lines, creating this grainy, almost sketchy look. It’s not a smooth painting—it’s more like a detailed drawing pressed onto paper. If you like this style, look up etching to see how artists carve into metal to make prints.
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…
See the richer artist page
