Virgin and Child with St. John (1500s): Art, History and Details

Virgin and Child with St. John (1500s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Antonio da Trento (Italian, c. 1508–c. 1550); Parmigianino (Italian, 1503–1540).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Enclosed in an oval and intimate space, the Virgin Mary holds Christ the Child on her lap, with the young Saint John the Baptist arranged to one side. Jesus's right sole is placed on the frame, creating the illusion his foot is resting on it. In his chiaroscuro woodcuts, Antonio da Trento usually favored gray ink rather than black for the line block, aiming for a pale effect and tonal unity. Furthermore, he exploited fine webs of hatching and cross-hatching to create contrasts between vigorous highlights and deep dark shadows. In all of these printing refinements, Antonio's technique was similar to Ugo da Carpi's chiaroscuro method, suggesting a close working relationship between these two printmakers.

Object facts

• Title: Virgin and Child with St. John
• Date: 1500s
• Creator attribution: Antonio da Trento (Italian, c. 1508–c. 1550); Parmigianino (Italian, 1503–1540)
• Culture: Italy
• Type: Print
• Technique: chiaroscuro woodcut
• Collection: PR - Chiaroscuro
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1923.73

A detail from the museum

This chiaroscuro woodcut is designed after a preliminary drawing by Parmigianino, only differing in the addition of a detailed background of lush foliage.

Collection credit

Dudley P. Allen Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.