putti

Putti are small, winged, chubby male child figures that appear in Western art and decorative design from the Renaissance onward. The term comes from the Italian putto, meaning a little boy or child; the plural is putti. Although they frequently appear in religious scenes, they are not a formal religious category. In Christian art they often serve as attendants to angels or as symbols of love, innocence, or the playful side of the divine. In some contexts they are indistinguishable from Cupid, the god of love, a connection that has led to overlapping terminology in art history.

Appearance and iconography: Putti are typically depicted as plump, nude or lightly dressed youths with small wings. Their expressions range from serene to mischievous. They may hold flowers, garlands, musical instruments, or bows and arrows when associated with Cupid. Their scenes can be intimate with sacred figures or part of larger allegorical or decorative compositions.

History and usage: The putto image arose as a revival of classical cherubic figures in Italian Renaissance art and spread across Europe in the Baroque and Rococo periods. They are employed as decorative motifs in frescoes, altarpieces, sculpture, and architecture, as well as in painted ceilings, friezes, and garden ornamentation. In religious contexts they accompany the Virgin and saints; in secular works they appear in mythological or allegorical scenes and as expressions of love and lighthearted whimsy. In later periods the motif continued in neoclassical and contemporary decorative arts, including ceramics and metalwork.

Related topics include Cupid and cherub figures, as well as Renaissance and Baroque decorative arts.