Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror

Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror (c. 1523) by Parmigianino. Its palette is led by dark golden umber (#504635, 23%) and golden umber (#77694e, 22%), with accents of light sand. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm.

Color reading

Brown covers about four-fifths of the canvas. Even its most colorful tone, light sand #BCA887, stays close to gray.

Palette

#504635 MG 185 dark golden umber 23.4% of canvas
#77694e MG 183 golden umber 22.3% of canvas
#1f1405 MG 220 warm black 19.4% of canvas
#3e2f19 MG 186 dark umber 17.6% of canvas
#bca887 MG 181 light sand 17.2% of canvas

Color families

Brown 81%, Black 17%, Gray 1%, Yellow 1%, White 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.43
Contrast: 0.55
Vividness: 0.034
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 110 cells
Hue range: 0.15
Focus: 0.23

Composition

52% of the visual weight is in the left half, 50% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.29 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 40% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 25% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: c. 1523
Medium: Oil on poplar panel
Size: 24.4 × 24.4 cm
Genre: self-portrait
Collection: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

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More by Parmigianino

The Vision of Saint Jerome, 1526
Madonna with the Long Neck, 1534–1540