Open IIIF manifest What is IIIF IIIF viewers

Study for the Madonna of the Long Neck

Maker

(artist)
1503-1540

Title

Date of Production

1530s

Medium

pen and brown ink and brown wash on laid paper prepared with a red chalk wash, laid down on a mount with gold borders partly flaked away

Dimensions

Height: 9.6 cm
Width: 6.5 cm

Accession Number

D.1978.PG.365

Mode of Acquisition

Count Antoine Seilern, bequest, 1978

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords

Label Text

The altarpiece known as the 'Madonna of the Long Neck' was one of Parmigianino’s major undertakings during the last decade of his life. Underway by 1534, it was still incomplete upon the artist’s death six years later, largely because of the sheer number of ideas Parmigianino devised for the project.
This study records one of his earlier proposals. Over time he changed nearly every solution explored here, and as a result the final painting bears little relation to the drawing.

Provenance

probably Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel (1585-1646) [according to Denon's 1826 sale catalogue, the majority of his Parmigianino drawings came from Arundel's collection]; if so, by descent to Henry Stafford-Howard, 1st Earl of Stafford (1648-1719); his sale, Tart Hall, London, 1720; purchased there by Antonio Maria Zanetti, Venice (1680-1757); acquired from him by Giovanni Antonio Armano, Venice (active 1780s); purchased from him by Baron Dominique-Vivant Denon, Paris (1747-1825), L.780 (lower right); possibly his estate sale, 1-19 May 1826, if there identified as one of the studies of the Virgin and Child or Holy Family, lots 371-375; Matthiesen Gallery (London); purchased there by Colnaghi (London), 24 April 1961, on behalf of Count Antoine Seilern, London (1901-1978) (£650); Princes Gate Bequest 1978 See Popham 1971 for provenance of Parmigianino drawings from Arundel to Denon.

Exhibition History

Drawings Gallery Display - The Art of Experiment: Parmigianino at The Courtauld, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 03/05/2022-06/05/2022

Parmigianino - Paintings, Drawings, Prints, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 14/05/1987-12/07/1987

Literature

The Art of Experiment: Parmigianino at The Courtauld, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 2022
cat. no. 9
and on pp. 28, 53
ill. on p. 72, detail on p. 75, detail is fig. 84 on p. 172

Olszewski, Edward J., Parmigianino's Madonna of the Long Neck: a grace beyond the reach of art, Philadelphia 2014
pp. 283, 301

Gnann, Achim, Parmigianino: Die Zeichnungen, Petersberg 2007
vol. I, pp. 290, 496 and vol. II, no. 901
ill. ...More

Ekserdjian, David, Parmigianino, New Haven and London 2006
pp. 195, 281n23

Vaccaro, Mary, Parmigianino: the paintings, Turin 2002
p. 185 under no. 36

Parmigianino - Paintings, Drawings, Prints, Courtauld, London, 1987
cat. no. 25
ill. on p. 12

Popham, A. E., Catalogue of the Drawings of Parmigianino, New Haven and London 1971
no. 771
pl. 360

Seilern, Count Antoine, Italian paintings and drawings at 56 Princes Gate, London SW7. Addenda, London 1969; V
no. 365
pl. XLIX
dated c. 1534-35 ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: unable to check as is laid down.

Inscription: Recto: upper left corner, brown ink, cropped: “82” [?]. Unable to check verso as is laid down.

Collector's mark: Recto: lower right corner, stamped in black: Dominique-Vivant Denon (L.779).

Information on this object may be incomplete and will be updated as research progresses. We are particularly committed to addressing any discriminatory or offensive language and ideas that might be present in our records. To help improve this record, and to enquire about images of The Courtauld Gallery Collection, please email gallery.collectionsonline@courtauld.ac.uk. Find out more about using and licensing our images.

____________________________

Buy a print from our collection