Madonna and Child with Saints (after Parmigianino) 1515 - 1573

Battista Angolo del Moro created this ink on paper work, Madonna and Child with Saints (after Parmigianino), sometime between 1535 and 1573, amidst the transformative era of the late Renaissance in Italy. Angolo's choice to replicate Parmigianino’s style speaks volumes about the artistic values of his time, where emulation of a master was a form of homage and a means to participate in the ongoing dialogue of artistic ideas. However, this work invites us to consider questions of originality, authorship, and the role of the artist as an interpreter rather than simply an originator. Furthermore, by focusing on the Madonna and Child, Angolo engages with a theme deeply embedded in the religious and social fabric of the time. Representations of the Madonna were not just artistic exercises but reflections on motherhood, purity, and the divine feminine, ideals that were central to the era's understanding of womanhood. It makes us think about the narratives and values that were being perpetuated, and how artists like Angolo were both shaping and reflecting those societal beliefs.