Provenance
Padre Sebastiano Resta (1635-1714), Milan (see Lugt 2992 and Lugt Suppl. 2993). Monsignor Giovanni Matteo Marchetti, Bishop oof Arezzo (died 1704), Arezzo (see Lugt 2911); bequeathed to his nephew, Cavaliere Orazio Marchetti, Pistoia; sold, probably through John Talman (died 1726), Hinkworth, Hertfordshire (see Lugt 2462), to John, Lord Somers, 1710 [script (Lugt 2981) recto, lower right, in pen and brown ink]; sold, London, Motteux, May 16, 1717. Walter T. Spencer, London [according to Gurley Card Index]. William F. E. Gurley (1854–1943), Chicago [stamp (Lugt 5308), recto, lower center, in black]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago for the Leonora Hall Gurley Memorial Collection, 1922 [stamp (Lugt 1230b), verso, lower center on mount, in black].
Accession Number
82276
Medium
Pen and brown ink on cream laid paper, prepared with pale orange wash, laid down on ivory wove card
Dimensions
14 × 6.5 cm (5 9/16 × 2 9/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Credit Line
The Leonora Hall Gurley Memorial Collection
Background & Context
Background Story
Parmigianinos Crucifixion from 1524-27 is a pen and brown ink drawing on cream laid paper prepared with a pale orange wash that exemplifies the Mannerist masters approach to religious subject matter, in which the traditional narrative of the Passion is transformed into a composition of extraordinary elegance and emotional complexity. Parmigianino, who was working in Rome during the years following the Sack of 1527, produced a series of drawings of the Crucifixion that demonstrate his ability to combine the devotional requirements of religious art with the formal innovations of Mannerism, including the elongated figures, complex poses, and serpentine contours that distinguish his work from the more balanced and proportional figures of the High Renaissance. The years 1524-27 bracket the period of Parmigianinos residence in Rome, where he studied the works of Raphael and Michelangelo and developed the personal style that would make him one of the most imitated artists of the 16th century. The pen and ink medium on paper prepared with a pale orange wash allows Parmigianino to combine the Linear definition of the figures with the tonal atmosphere of the wash, creating a drawing that has the compositional completeness of a finished painting while retaining the spontaneity and inventiveness of a working drawing. The ivory wove card onto which the drawing is laid down gives it the physical presence of a finished work of art rather than a preparatory sketch.
Cultural Impact
Parmigianinos religious drawings are important documents of Mannerist spirituality and draftsmanship, and the Crucifixion demonstrates his ability to combine devotional content with Mannerist formal innovation. His drawings influenced the development of religious art in the 16th century and the broader tradition of Mannerist draftsmanship.
Why It Matters
A 1524-27 pen and brown ink drawing by Parmigianino on paper prepared with pale orange wash depicting the Crucifixion with Mannerist elongation and serpentine contours, combining devotional content with formal innovation in a finished drawing of compositional completeness.
