Nativity

This Nativity dates to about 1521, making it one of Parmigianino's earliest surviving works, painted when he was approximately eighteen years old. Already evident is the influence of Correggio, then the dominant artistic presence in Parma, particularly in the soft chiaroscuro and tender sentiment. The work reveals a prodigiously talented young artist still finding his distinctive voice. Characteristic of Parmigianino's approach, the work displays extreme elegance, elongated forms, serpentine grace, refined palette.

The early Nativity shows Parmigianino's developing command of light and shadow, with warm illumination radiating from the Christ child in a manner derived from Correggio. Figure proportions are more naturalistic than in his later Mannerist works, reflecting the conventional approach of his youth.