Saint Rocco

This depiction of Saint Roch dates to around 1528, when Parmigianino was likely working in Bologna after fleeing the devastation of Rome. Saint Roch, the plague saint who displayed his bubo to demonstrate his suffering, was particularly venerated in northern Italy where plague outbreaks were frequent. The saint's popularity intensified after the devastating plague of 1527-1528. Characteristic of Parmigianino's approach, the work displays extreme elegance, elongated forms, serpentine grace, refined palette.

Parmigianino renders the saint with characteristic elegance even in depicting his affliction, balancing idealized form with the specificity of the traditional iconographic wound on the thigh. The figure's contrapposto pose reveals the artist's thorough study of classical and High Renaissance models.