Putto Holding Flowers
Medium
Pen and brown ink, with brush and brown wash, heightened with lead white (discolored), on blue laid paper, laid down on blue wove paper
Dimensions
28.8 × 19 cm (11 3/8 × 7 1/2 in.)
Classification
ink with wash
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
114890
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Pellegrino Tibaldi, an Italian artist active during the late Renaissance and Mannerist periods, created this delicate drawing of a putto holding flowers. Tibaldi, who worked as both a painter and architect, often explored classical motifs in his work, drawing inspiration from the graceful forms of antiquity and the dramatic energy of Michelangelo. The figure of the putto—a chubby, winged child—appears frequently in Renaissance art as a symbol of innocence, love, and divine presence, here rendered with gentle charm as it cradles a bouquet. The artwork showcases Tibaldi’s skillful use of pen an...