Madonna and Child with Saints (after Parmigianino)

Art Historical Context

Behold the delicate engraving *Madonna and Child with (after Parmigianino, a masterful reproduction of a composition by the Renaissance Mannerist painter Parmigianino (Girol Francesco Maria Mazzola,1503–1540). Created by Battista d'Angelo del Moro, Italian engraver active in the 16th, this print captures the serene devotion of the Virgin Mary cradling the Christ Child, flanked by attendant saints—a quintessential theme in Christian art symbolizing maternal grace and divine intercession. Engraving, the medium here, involved incising fine lines into a metal plate with a burin, then inking and pressing it onto paper to produce multiples. This technique revolutionized art dissemination during the Renaissance, making elite imagery accessible beyond original paintings. Measuring 11 x 8 inches, del Moro's work faithfully echoes Parmigianino's elegant, elongated figures and ethereal poses, hallmarks of Mannerism that elongated classical ideals into a more stylized, graceful mode. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department through the bequest of Phyllis Massar in 2011, this piece highlights the collaborative spirit of Renaissance workshops, where engravers like del Moro preserved and popularized masters' visions. It invites visitors to ponder how such prints bridged sacred art and everyday devotion in 16th-century Europe.