Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror, about 1524, by Parmigianino (Francesco Mazzola) (1503–40), 9.6in in diameter, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria.
The Lord Ramsbotham says:
I was introduced to Mannerism, which comes from maniera, meaning stylish – which Mannerist paintings and sculptures undoubtedly are – by an Open University course. Hands are the trademark of Mannerist art, particularly with an index finger pointing upwards. What I find fascinating about Parmigianino’s self-portrait is that its main feature is not his face, but his hands, the tools of his trade. Convex mirrors distort reflections and I have always admired the self-confidence of a young artist, who not only attempted such a painting but used it in his CV to announce his ability to possible patrons.
Gen The Lord Ramsbotham GCB CBE, Chief Inspector of Prisons 1995–2001, sits on the crossbenches in the House of Lords
John McEwen comments on Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror:
Parmigianino was born in Parma, hence his name. He was two when his artist father died, so he was raised and trained by two artist uncles. By 16, he was superior to them all.
Parma had produced great architecture and sculpture, but depended on painters from elsewhere. One of these was Antonio Correggio. Parmigianino learned from Correggio, more than 10 years his senior, when they worked together on frescoes for a monastery church. The result advanced both their careers: Correggio was overwhelmed with commissions; Parmigianino, only 19, was commissioned to paint some frescoes in Parma Cathedral.
By 1524, he sought to advance his career by going to Rome, where he remained until the city was sacked in 1527 by the army of the Holy Roman Empire. He took three of his pictures, which, according to his first chronicler Vasari, he offered to the Pope as examples of his mastery. The most dramatic was this inventive and easily transportable self-portrait, the convex subject made literal by being painted on a curved wooden surface.
Raphael, youngest of the three great artists (Leonardo, Michelangelo) of the High Renaissance, had died three years before. In his portrait, Parmigianino – from the luxury of his dress, the refinement of his magnified hand, his self-assurance – was proposing himself as a replacement for Raphael, also a prodigy famed for good looks, elegance and artistic grace.
‘Mannerism’, a 20th-century categorisation, derived from maniera, a word often used by Vasari, himself a Mannerist. Parmigianino was one of its earliest practitioners. Trickery and odd effects, especially distortion, are characteristics—his self-portrait in a nutshell.
Credit: The Restoration of Charles II - 17th century engraving, Victorian colouring
The fascinating story of the 'lost' royal art collections of Charles I and Charles II
The royal art collections of Charles I and Charles II were scattered across Europe – and after the Restoration, huge efforts
My Favourite Painting: Lord Rees of Ludlow
Lord Rees of Ludlow chooses his favourite painting for Country Life.
My favourite painting: The Lord Crathorne
'I love and am inspired by this powerful portrait of my remarkable grandfather'
-
If the future of Ferrari is electric vehicles, then it is our future tooIt's widely believed that Ferrari will unveil its first electric car this year. It's the signal that the internal combustion era is coming to an end.
-
Gaze over Cap Ferrat in this four-bedroom French villaIgnore the wind and the rain. Imagine yourself in this hillside home with some of the best views the Mediterranean can offer.
-
'As a child I wanted to snuggle up with the dogs and be part of it': Alexia Robinson chooses her favourite paintingAlexia Robinson, founder of Love British Food, chooses an Edwin Landseer classic.
-
The Pre-Raphaelite painter who swapped 'willowy, nubile women' for stained glass — and created some of the best examples in BritainThe painter Edward Burne-Jones turned from paint to glass for much of his career. James Hughes, director of the Victorian Society, chooses a glass masterpiece by Burne-Jones as his favourite 'painting'.
-
'I can’t look away. I’m captivated': The painter who takes years over each portrait, with the only guarantee being that it won't look like the subjectFor Country Life's My Favourite Painting slot, the writer Emily Howes chooses a work by a daring and challenging artist: Frank Auerbach.
-
My Favourite Painting: Rob HouchenThe actor Rob Houchen chooses a bold and challenging Egon Schiele work.
-
My Favourite Painting: Jeremy Clarkson'That's why this is my favourite painting. Because it invites you to imagine'
-
The chair of the National Gallery names his favourite from among the 2,300 masterpieces — and it will come as a bit of a shockAs the National Gallery turns 200, the chair of its board of trustees, John Booth, chooses his favourite painting.
-
'A wonderful reminder of what the countryside could and should be': The 200-year-old watercolour of a world fast disappearingChristopher Price of the Rare Breed Survival Trust on the bucolic beauty of The Magic Apple Tree by Samuel Palmer, which he nominates as his favourite painting.
-
My favourite painting: Andrew Graham-Dixon'Lesson Number One: it’s the pictures that baffle and tantalise you that stay in the mind forever .'
