Madonna of Saint Margaret

The Madonna of Saint Margaret dates to around 1529, painted during Parmigianino's productive years in Bologna. The inclusion of Saint Margaret, patron saint of childbirth, alongside the Madonna and Child suggests the painting may have been commissioned in connection with a pregnancy or safe delivery. The work is now housed in the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Bologna. The tension between Parmigianino's technical perfectionism and his increasingly erratic working habits—he reportedly spent his final years on alchemical experiments rather than completing commissions—reflects the Mannerist tendency to prioritize intellectual refinement over practical completion.

The composition creates an elegant interplay between the Madonna, Child, and accompanying saint, unified by Parmigianino's characteristic serpentine rhythms. Rich, warm colors and delicate sfumato modeling of the flesh produce a devotional image of refined beauty.