Putto
The
putto is a figure of a pudgy baby, almost always male, often naked and having wings, found especially in
Italian Renaissance art. The figure derives from Ancient art but was "rediscovered" in the early
Quattrocento. These images are frequently, and errantly, confused with
cherubs.
[Art historian Juan Carlos Martinez writes: "Originally, Cherubs and Putti had distinctly different roles, with the former being sacred, and the latter, profane. That is, Cherubs and Seraphs (Cherubim, Seraphim) are Angels, occupying the highest angelic orders in Heaven and are thus the closest to God. On the other hand, Putti, arise from Greco-Roman classical mythos (i.e., non-Christian). They are associated with Eros/Cupid as well as with the Muse, Erato; the muse of lyric and love poetry...]
"Putti are...not so much babies as they are 'not human'. They are spiritual beings and thus depicted in their typically odd fashion; as winged little people of indeterminate gender. Using babies as models for Putti (or for Cherubs, either) doesn't quite get across the true concept of 'Putti-ness' as they (babies) are too guileless, for one thing, whereas Putti are clever and purposeful. They are there to help Cupid/Eros facilitate the onset of profane love -- or secular, non-religious love, as between two people, rather than the love as between a human and God. Probably, it was artists' attempts to avoid simply painting babies that has led to so many rather odd and, often, ugly, Putti. Sometimes they nailed it, sometimes not.
"By the time the Baroque Era came about, which might arguably have been the high point for Cherubim and Putti, both of these little beings were usually being depicted in the same way. Which one they were, simply depended upon the theme of the painting or sculpture: If religious (sacred) they were Putti.
"In either case, they'd be hard to pull off successfully today because most people are unaware of their roles in semiotics, or in philosophy/mythology/history, or in religion." (Martinez, Juan Carlos. "What's With the Cherubs?" ARChives - Essays and Information on Art by Today's Experts and Professionals. Art Renewal Center, 10/5/2004[1])Derivation of word
The word
putto is
Italian singular male; the plural is
putti. One never speaks of
putta, which would be the female version. (That word is short for
puttana, which means "slut.")
In early modern as well as current Italian, the word simply means "child."
In descriptions of art, some of the first known references to the word are in
Vasari (
Lives of the Artists, 1550/65).
Application of word over time
It seems to have developed its application as a specific term in
art history only during the modern period.
Revival of putto in the renaissance
Putti are a classical motif found primarily on child
sarcophagi of the
2nd century, where they are depicted fighting,
dancing, participating in
bacchic rites, playing
sports, etc.
The revival of the figure of the putto is generally attributed to
Donatello, in
Florence in the
1420s, although there are some earlier manifestations (for example the
tomb of
Illaria del Carretta in
Lucca).
Where to find putti
You will find putti,
cupids and
angels (see below) in both
religious and
secular art from the 1420s in Italy, the turn of the
16th century in the
Netherlands and
Germany, the
Mannerist period and late
Renaissance in
France, and all over
Baroque ceilings. They also experienced a major revival in the
19th century. It would be too long to list all the artists, but the best known are
Donatello and
Raphael (with
Giulio Romano and
Giovanni da Udine), and all their followers.
Iconography of putto
The iconography of putti is deliberately unfixed. It is hard to tell the difference between putti, cupids and angels. They have no specific attributes, but can take on the attributes of numerous other figures. As such, putti can take on lots of meanings.
The
historiography of this subject matter is very short. Many important and famous art historians have commented on the importance of the figure of the putto in art but few have taken up a major study.
The only scholarly book with putti in the title is: Charles Dempsey
The Invention of the Renaissance Putto (University of North Carolina Press, 2001).
