Christ taking Leave of his Mother

Correggio was still in his twenties when he painted this, some time before 1514, and the subject shows where he had been looking. The farewell between Christ and his mother before the Passion is not in the Gospels. It grew out of late medieval devotional writing, and Italian painters rarely showed it, though it was common in Northern European art, especially German prints, which he clearly knew. The son kneels in white to receive his mother's blessing. The Virgin, her face and hands drained of colour, sinks against a companion, probably one of the Marys who stayed with her through the Passion, and Saint John stands behind him with his hands clasped. X-rays show a false start underneath. At first Correggio had Christ standing on the right, then he abandoned that design, turned the canvas upside down and began again.