The Virgin and Child with Saint Jerome, the Magdalen and the Infant Saint John

This early work dates to around 1522, when Parmigianino was barely twenty years old and still working in his native Parma. Even at this young age, the artist was absorbing influences from Correggio, who was then active in the city, while developing his own distinctive approach to form. The multi-figure religious composition demonstrates his precocious command of complex figure arrangements. Characteristic of Parmigianino's approach, the work displays extreme elegance, elongated forms, serpentine grace, refined palette.

The youthful work already reveals Parmigianino's inclination toward graceful, elongated forms, though the proportions are more conservative than his later works. Soft modeling and delicate color harmonies show the influence of Correggio's sfumato technique.