Portrait of a Man with a Book

Parmigianino painted the brooding portrait in 1524, showing a young man holding a book, his face half in shadow. The sitter wears a black cap and dark clothing that sets off his pale skin and intense gaze. One eye catches the light while the other remains in darkness.

The portrait was once attributed to Correggio, but documents from the Farnese Collection in Rome confirm Parmigianino's authorship. James Hall has argued the composition contains spiritual allegory: in Renaissance thought, the right eye was considered the spiritual eye while the left looked upon worldly matters. The sitter's face, divided between light and shadow, may embody this duality.

The oil on canvas measures 52 x 70 cm and hangs at York Art Gallery in England. The Frick Collection described this as "Parmigianino's magnificent brooding portrait," noting how its introspection "strikes a particularly modern note." The artist, whose nickname means "the little one from Parma," was a leading figure of Mannerism known for elongated forms and psychological complexity.