The Parmigianino

The most precious jewel of the Rocca is the “Little Room of Diana and Actaeon” frescoed by Francesco Mazzola, known as Parmigianino (Parma 1503 – Casalmaggiore 1540). Painted in 1523-1524 for Count Galeazzo Sanvitale and his wife, Paola Gonzaga, it is one of the artist's youthful masterpieces.

The vault is decorated with cherubs against a dense pergola, with a wide opening of sky at the center and a round mirror bearing the warning “Respice finem.” In the 14 lunettes below, the myth of Diana and Actaeon is depicted, taken from Ovid's “Metamorphoses.”