The hugely talented artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci was born in Florence but found success in Milan where he worked as sculptor and painter to Duke Lodovico Sforza. His large drawing (or cartoon) of the Virgin and Child in this room was made probably for the invading French king, Louis XI.

Leonardo modelled the human form through a subtle blending of light and soft shadow (an effect called sfumato) which enabled him to capture fleeting changes in light, emotions and facial expressions. His revolutionary approach inspired a number of Milanese followers. His impact on Correggio, who worked in and near Parma, is seen in the idealised softness of the younger painter’s figures and the sweetness of their expressions.

In a short career, Parmigianino moved from precocious success in Correggio’s footsteps to be lauded in Rome during the 1520s as the new Raphael. His paintings are full of elegant distortions and surprising poses, achieved apparently without effort.