Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror(c.1524); Oil on wood, diameter 24,4 cm ; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (11 January 1503- 24 August 1540), also known as Francesco Mazzola, or more famously as Parmigianino, was a painter, draftsman, and etcher of a family of artists in Parma, where he worked among other artists such as Correggio. He was an influential painter of the Mannerist style during his twenty-year career. Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror by Parmigianino (c. ... Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror by Parmigianino (c. ... January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events January 20 - Seville in Castile is awarded exclusive right to trade with the New World. ... August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... Events January 6 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort. ... A painter is a person who paints woodwork, walls, etc. ... This is about drafting, the art and science of technical drawing. ... Etching is an intaglio method of printmaking in which the image is incised into the surface of a metal plate using an acid. ... Parma is a medieval city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, with splendid architecture and a fine countryside around it. ... Antonio Allegri da Correggio Jupiter and Io, 1531 or 32 Antonio Allegri da Correggio (Correggio, Italy August 1489 – March 5, 1534) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. ... Mannerism is the usual English term for an approach to all the arts, particularly painting but not exclusive to it, a reaction to the High Renaissance, emerging after the Sack of Rome in 1527 shook Renaissance confidence, humanism and rationality to their foundations, and even Religion had split apart. ...

Life History

On 11 January, 1503, Mazzola was born the eighth child of Filippo Mazzola and an unknown mother. Just two years later, his father died of the plague, leaving his sons to be brought up under their uncles, Michele and Pier Ilario. Mazzola learned painting from his father and uncles. Giorgio Vasari, in his Lives of the Artists, notes, his grammar school teacher recommended training in painting after seeing the musing drawings of his student. In 1515, his uncles, Pier Ilario and Michele, receive a commission from Nicolo Zangrandi for the decoration of a chapel in San Giovanni Evangelista. This work was later taken over by Mazzola. His career began early, and by the age of sixteen, he had already completed an altarpiece for a local church. Giorgio Vasari (Arezzo, Tuscany July 3, 1511 - Florence, June 27, 1574) was an Italian painter and architect, mainly known for his famous biographies of Italian artists. ... // Events June - Invasion of Persia by Sultan Selim I of the Ottoman Empire. ...

In 1521, Mazzola fled to Viadana at the request of his uncles, after the battle between Francois I and the allied Charles V and Leo X. Here, he painted two panels in tempera, depicting Saint Francis for the church of the Frati de'Zoccoli, and the Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine for San Pietro. This year and the next, he also worked in San Giovanni and met Correggio on the scaffolding put up for the latter's fresco decorations of the cupola. Events January 3 - Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem. ... Francis I, Renaissance prince, lover of women, patron of the arts Francis I (French: François Ier) (September 12, 1494 - July 31, 1547), called the Father and Restorer of Letters (French: le Père et Restaurateur des Lettres), was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims... The name Charles V is used to refer to numerous persons in history: Kings: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (also Charles I of Spain) Charles V of France Charles V of Naples Charles V of Sweden This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might... Pope Leo X Leo X, né Giovanni di Lorenzo de Medici (December 11, 1475 - December 1, 1521), was the only pope who has bestowed his own name upon his age, and one of the few whose original extraction has corresponded in some measure with the splendour of the pontifical dignity. ... Saint Francis of Assisi (born in Assisi, Italy, ca. ... Cupola of St Peters Basilica, Rome In architecture, a cupola consists of a dome-shaped ornamental structure located on top of a larger roof or dome, often used as a lookout or to admit light and remove stale air. ...

Mazzola received a major commission in 1522 to decorate the left transept arm of the cathedral of San Giovanni. However, this was hampered so much by delays that he was not able to execute the commissioned work. Between 1523 and 1524, Mazzola met Galeazzo Sanvitale, with whom he had a long relationship. Events January 9 - Adrian Dedens becomes Pope Adrian VI. February 26 - Execution by hanging of Cuauhtémoc, Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan under orders of conquistador Hernán Cortés. ... Events April - Battle of Villalar - Forces loyal to Emperor Charles V defeat the Comuneros, a league of urban bourgeois rebelling against Charles in Spain. ... Events March 1, 1524/5 - Giovanni da Verrazano lands near Cape Fear (approx. ...

In 1524, Mazzola visited Rome, and presented four small paintings, and his Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror, to Clement VII, the new Medici pope, from whom Mazzola hoped to gain patronage. Clement kept the Circumcision. Mazzola was able to experience the art of Raphael and Michelangelo, active in the city, and influenced by the artistic centre of Italy, his work became more elegant. Vasari records that Mazzola was 'celebrated as a Raphael reborn'. Events March 1, 1524/5 - Giovanni da Verrazano lands near Cape Fear (approx. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Left-Wing Democrats) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,546,807 almost 4,000,000 1... For the antipope (1378-1394) see Antipope Clement VII. Pope Clement VII Clement VII, né Giulio di Giuliano de Medici (1478 – September 25, 1534) was pope from 1523 to 1534. ... The Medici family was a powerful and influential Florentine family from the 13th to 17th century. ... Self-portrait by Raphael. ... Michelangelo (full name Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni) (March 6, 1475 - February 18, 1564) was a Renaissance sculptor, architect, painter, and poet. ...

In January 1526, Mazzola and his uncle, Pier Ilario, agree with Maria Bufalina from Citta di Castello, to decorate the church of San Salvatore, in Lauro, with the Vision of Saint Jerome. Events January 14 - Treaty of Madrid. ...

In 1527 the sack of Rome by troops of Emperor Charles V caused Mazzola, like many other artists, to flee. He came to Bologna, at the request of his uncle. The next three years of his life, while productive, did little to develop his skill or reputation. After this period, in 1530, Mazzola returned to Parma, where he received more commissions to paint in another local church. However, it is believed that at this time, he became a devotee of alchemy. Vasari hypothesized that this was due to his fascination with magic. Scholars now agree that Mazzola's scientific interests may've been due to his obsession with trying to find a new medium for his etchings. As a result of his alchemical researches, he completed little work in the church. He was imprisoned, but later escaped. In 1531, Mazzola received a commission for two altarpieces, depicting Saint Joseph, and Saint John the Baptist, from the unfinished church of the Steccata. The brotherhood was to erect suitable scaffolding and provide the rosettes for the coffers and the necessary gold. This led in the following year to a contract for the apse and barrel vault to be completed within 18 months. However, by 1535, Mazzola had still not finished them, and promises to do so within two years, or pay back the advance he had received. In December, he nominated Don Nicola Cassola, a Parman cleric at the Roman Curia, to act as his legal representative. Mazzola authorised him to collect the 50 gold scudi from Bonifazio Gozzadini for the Madonna with St. John the Baptist and St. Zacharias. Events January 5 - Felix Manz, co-founder of the Swiss Anabaptists, was drowned in the Limmat River in Zürich by the Zürich Reformed state church. ... The city of Rome has been sacked on several occasions. ... Charles (February 24, 1500 – September 21, 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor (as Charles V) from 1519-1558; he was also King of Spain from 1516-1556, officially as Charles I of Spain, although often referred to as Charles V (Carlos Quinto or Carlos V) in Spain and Latin America. ... Bologna (from Latin Bononia, BulÃ¥ggna in the local dialect) is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, between the Po River and the Apennines. ... Events June 25 - Augsburg confession presented to Charles V of Holy Roman Empire. ... Alchemy is an early protoscientific practice combining elements of chemistry, physics, astrology, art, semiotics, metallurgy, medicine, and mysticism. ... Events January 26 - Lisbon, Portugal is hit by an earthquake-- thousands die October 1 - Battle of Kappel - The forces of Zürich are defeated by the Catholic cantons. ... Saint Joseph, also referred to as Joseph the Betrothed and as Joseph of Nazareth, was the father (according to the law) of Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 1:16; Luke 3:23) and the husband of Mary. ... John the Baptist (also called John the Baptizer or John the Dipper) is regarded as a prophet by at least three religions: Christianity, Islam, and Mandaeanism. ... Events January 18 - Lima, Peru founded by Francisco Pizarro April - Jacques Cartier discovers the Iroquois city of Stadacona, Canada (now Quebec) and in May, the even greater Huron city of Hochelaga (now Montreal) June 24 - The Anabaptist state of Münster (see Münster Rebellion) is conquered and disbanded. ... The Curia, inside the Forum The Curia of ancient Rome was the place where the Senate met to discuss the making of laws and take decisions about the affairs of the Republic. ...

In 1534, it was decided that the Madonna dal Collo Lungo (the Madonna with the Long Neck) would hang in the chapel of the family of Elena Baiardi. Events February 27 - Group of Anabaptists of Jan Matthys seize Münster and declare it The New Jerusalem - they begin to exile dissenters and forcible baptize all others May 10 - Jacques Cartier explores Newfoundland while searching for the Northwest Passage. ...

Mazzola had, naturally, probably expected to succeed Correggio in the favour of the church. However, in April 1538, the administrative office of the Church commissioned Girolamo Bedoli to decorate the apse and choir of the cathedral. Worse, the next year, Mazzola was thrown in jail for two months, after the Confraternita decided unanimously to ban him from continuing in their church. He was replaced between 1539 and 1540 by Giulio Romano, who accepted the commission to finish the work of Mazzola. However, shortly afterwards in 1540, Romano requested to withdraw from the contract as the work of Mazzola surpassed his strength. Events Treaty of Nagyvarad. ... Events May 30 - In Florida, Hernando de Soto lands at Tampa Bay with 600 soldiers with the goal to find gold. ... Events January 6 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort. ... Giulio Romano (ca 1499? – November 1, 1546) was an Italian painter, architect, painter and decorator, the favorite pupil of Raphael, whose legacy Giulio Romano extended, and at the same time one of the inventors of 16th century Mannerism. ... Events January 6 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort. ...

On the 24 August 1540, Mazzola died, being buried in the church of the Frati de' Servi "naked with a cross made of cypress wood on his chest". August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... Events January 6 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort. ...

Works

David with the Head of Goliath

Is it believed that Mazzola was the first Italian artist to make etchings. His work in this influenced the technology and art of printmaking. Image File history File links Girolamo_Francesco_Maria_Mazzola_-_David_with_the_Head_of_Goliath. ... Image File history File links Girolamo_Francesco_Maria_Mazzola_-_David_with_the_Head_of_Goliath. ...

The Madonna with the Long Neck

Madonna with the Long Neck, 1534-40, Oil on wood, 216 x 132 cm, Uffizi, Florence
Left unfinished at the artist's death

I can well imagine that some may find [Parmigianino's] Madonna almost offensive because of the affectation and sophistication with which a sacred object is treated. There is nothing in it of the ease and simplicity with which Raphael had treated that ancient theme. The picture is called the 'Madonna with the long neck' because the painter, in his eagerness to make the Holy Virgin look graceful and elegant, has given her a neck like that of a swan. He has stretched and lengthened the proportions of the human body in a strangely capricious way. The hand of the Virgin with its long delicate fingers, the long leg of the angel in the foreground, the lean, haggard prophet with a scroll of parchment - we see them all as through a distorting mirror. And yet there can be no doubt that the artist achieved this effect through neither ignorance nor indifference. He has taken care to show us that he liked these unnaturally elongated forms, for, to make doubly sure of his effect, he placed an oddly shaped high column of equally unusual proportions in the background of the painting. As for the arrangement of the picture, he also showed us that he did not believe in conventional harmonies. Instead of distributing his figures in equal pairs on both sides of the Madonna, he crammed a jostling crowd of angels into a narrow corner, and left the other side wide open to show the tall figure of the prophet, so reduced in size through the distance that he hardly reaches the Madonna's knee. There can be no doubt, then, that if this be madness there is method in it. The painter wanted to be unorthodox. He wanted to show that the classical solution of perfect harmony is not the only solution conceivable; that natural simplicity is one way of achieving beauty, but that there are less direct ways of getting interesting effects for sophisticated lovers of art. Whether we like or dislike the road he took, we must admit that he was consistent. Indeed, Parmigianino and all the artists of his time who deliberately sought to create something new and unexpected, even at the expense of the 'natural' beauty established by the great masters, were perhaps the first 'modern' artists. We shall see, indeed, that what is now called 'modern' art may have had its roots in a similar urge to avoid the obvious and achieve effects which differ from conventional natural beauty. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (486x800, 98 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (486x800, 98 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Uffizi Gallery (Italian: Galleria degli Uffizi) is a palace or palazzo in Florence, holding one of the oldest and most famous art museums in the world. ... Founded 59 BC as Florentia Region Tuscany Mayor Leonardo Domenici (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  102 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 356,000 almost 500,000 3,453/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 43°47 N 11°15 E www. ...

From "The Story of Art", by E.H. Gombrich

List of Works

• Madonna with the long neck, Madonna with the Long Neck, 1534-40, Oil on wood, 216 x 132 cm, Uffizi, Florence
• Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror, c.1524; Oil on wood, diameter 24.4 cm; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

The Uffizi Gallery (Italian: Galleria degli Uffizi) is a palace or palazzo in Florence, holding one of the oldest and most famous art museums in the world. ... Founded 59 BC as Florentia Region Tuscany Mayor Leonardo Domenici (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  102 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 356,000 almost 500,000 3,453/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 43°47 N 11°15 E www. ...

See also

• Mannerism

Mannerism is the usual English term for an approach to all the arts, particularly painting but not exclusive to it, a reaction to the High Renaissance, emerging after the Sack of Rome in 1527 shook Renaissance confidence, humanism and rationality to their foundations, and even Religion had split apart. ...

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Parmigianino

• Parmigianino, Cecil Gould. ISBN 1-55859-892-8
• The Story of Art, E.H. Gombrich
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