Virgin and Child (recto); Sketch of Three Saints and Caricature Sketch (verso) 

Parmigianino made this drawing of the Virgin and Child in pen and brown ink wash around the 1520s, probably in his native Parma, in Italy. The image operates within the long and complex history of the Catholic Church. The composition presents us with the iconic figures of Mary and Jesus. However, Parmigianino was working at a time of great upheaval for the Church, in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. Religious imagery of the time becomes intensely ideological. How does it reaffirm Catholic doctrine? How does it respond to Protestant critiques of image worship? To better understand the drawing’s cultural context, one could explore period sermons, theological treatises, and devotional literature, all of which would have shaped the reception of such works. By combining formal analysis with social history, we can gain insights into the complex interplay between art, religion, and society in 16th-century Italy.