# Parmigianino artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/parmigianino/
Profile generated: 2026-05-25T02:55:07.251Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1503-01-11
- Death date: 1540-08-24
- Nationality: Italian
- Movements: Mannerism
- Common media: oil painting, fresco, engraving, drawing

## About Parmigianino

Parmigianino, born Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola in Parma in 1503, was an Italian painter, printmaker, and draftsman who became one of the most celebrated figures of the Mannerist movement. Trained in the Emilian tradition and influenced by Correggio and Raphael, he developed a distinctive style marked by elegant elongation of form, refined sensuality, and complex spatial compositions. Active in Parma, Rome, Bologna, and Florence, his major works include the Vision of Saint Jerome (1527) and the Madonna with the Long Neck (c. 1534), both now landmarks of Mannerist painting. He was also a pioneering etcher whose prints circulated widely and influenced generations of artists. Parmigianino died in Casalmaggiore in 1540 at the age of 37, leaving behind a body of work that defined the first generation of artists whose entire careers unfolded within the Mannerist period.

## Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers most commonly encounter Parmigianino through his etchings and engravings, which include religious scenes, mythological subjects, and ornamental designs. His oil paintings, such as Madonna compositions and portraits, are held primarily in museum collections but occasionally appear at auction. Fresco fragments from his work in Parma churches also survive. Drawings — including preparatory studies in pen, ink, chalk, and wash — are well represented in museum and private collections and appear regularly in Old Master drawings sales. His self-portrait in a convex mirror (c. 1524) is among his most recognized works.

## Market and appraisal context

Parmigianino's works appear in the Old Master Paintings, Drawings, and Prints categories at major auction houses. His relatively short life and small surviving oeuvre mean that securely attributed paintings are rare and can command significant sums at auction. Drawings and prints are more frequently encountered and form an active collector market. Key factors affecting appraisal include the quality of attribution (versus workshop or follower), medium, condition, provenance history, and whether a work is a previously unknown composition. Expert scholarly opinion is essential for authentication, as Parmigianino's influence led to many contemporary and later copies.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines identity research from museum authority files, library catalogs, and scholarly sources with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot data when those records are available. Biographical facts are grounded in the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), Getty ULAN, VIAF, and Wikidata authority records.

## Sources

- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/61878
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9348
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500012615
- VIAF (OCLC): https://viaf.org/viaf/17231857/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79074516
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmigianino