This paper will examine two works by Parmigianino in different media, in particular the Bardi Altarpiece, and Design for an Altarpiece in its Frame, which were completed at the beginning of his career.T hrough the reconsideration of Parmigianino’s use of parergon and ergon as discussed by Jacques Derrida, and of specific artistic elements, I will assert that these two works were meant to be displayed together. These works, I argue, shed light onto the artist’s creative process, his understanding of the nature of frames, and his thinking about centre and border of the images. I will demonstrate why the similarities and connections that these two works share are too intertwined to not inherently go together; as they can be seen as the harmonious amalgamation of ergon and parergon.