Description
This drawing exemplifies the style Parmigianino developed after his stay in Rome (1524–27), where he would have been exposed to Raphael’s frescoes in the Vatican. It may be a preparatory drawing for a painting of a religious subject; the composition has been linked to the Marriage of the Virgin and a representation of six apostles. Parmigianino’s image has been copied many times by other artists, including Count Antonio Maria Zanetti, who bought this and other drawings by Parmigianino from the Earl of Arundel.
Provenance
Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Arundel (1585-1646), England [inscription on mount]; by descent to his wife, Alethea Howard, Countess of Arundel (1585-1654) [McCullagh and Giles 1997]; by descent to her son, William Howard, Lord Stratford (1614-1680), Tart Hall, London; sold by his estate, Tart Hall (Stratford House), London, 1720 [McCullagh and Giles 1997]. Antonio Maria Zanetti (1680-1757), Venice [script (Lugt 2992f), verso, lower center on mount, in pen and brown ink]; by descent through three generations of the Zanetti family [Lugt 2992]; sold by the Zanetti family to Baron Dominique Vivant-Denon (1747-1825), Paris, in 1789 [stamp, (Lugt 779), recto, lower right, in black; McCullagh and Giles 1997]. Samuel Woodburn (1786-1853), London [see Lugt 2584; inscription]; sold, Christie's, London, June 12-14, 1860. Charles Sackville Bale (1791-1880), London, [stamp (Lugt 640), verso, lower center on mount, in black]; sold, Christie's, London, June 10, 1881, lot 2397, as "A Group of Seven Figures," to Riggale [annotated sales catalogue]. Sold, Frederick Muller, Amsterdam, June 26, 1946, lot 862A. Sold by P. & D. Colnaghi and Company, London, to the Art Institute, 1978.
Accession Number
52668
Medium
Pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash, on tan laid paper, laid down on tan laid card
Dimensions
12.4 × 13.1 cm (4 15/16 × 5 3/16 in.)
Classification
ink and wash
Credit Line
Margaret Day Blake Collection