After 10 years of conservation work, Parmigianino’s Madonna and Child with Saints (1526–27), usually known as The Vision of Saint Jerome, returns to public view in London as part of the National Gallery’s bicentenary celebrations (5 December–9 March 2025). The altarpiece, completed when Parmigianino was just 23 years old, is one of his most remarkable works: according to Giorgio Vasari, imperial soldiers storming the artist’s workshop during the Sack of Rome in 1527 were so impressed it that they allowed him to continue painting. The Vision of Saint Jerome is displayed alongside several preparatory drawings, from rough chalk sketches to more detailed studies in ink, demonstrating the painstaking methods of the young Italian mannerist.
Find out more form the National Gallery’s website.
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The Madonna and Child with Saints John the Baptist and Jerome (1526–27), Parmigianino. Photo: © The National Gallery, London
Studies of Saints John the Baptist and Jerome, a Crucifix, and Various Heads (c. 1525–27), Parmigianino. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Photo: courtesy Getty’s Open Content Program
Study for a Composition of the Virgin and Christ Child with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Jerome below (1526–27), Parmigianino. British Museum, London. Photo: © The Trustees of the British Museum