Two Putti Supporting a Torch
Flemish
1650–1700
Medium
Terracotta on slate
Dimensions
35.2 × 27.9 × 7.3 cm (13 7/8 × 11 × 2 7/8 in.)
Classification
relief
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
93280
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In this terracotta sculpture, a pouting putto and his companion flank an elaborate candelabra with a lit torch. The surfaces of the fleshy baby bodies and architectural elements retain the striations and marks of the sculptor’s tools, an indication that this work was not a finished product. Artists considered terracotta, a type of ceramic characterized by its reddish-brown color, an ideal medium for models. Such models served as guides for their assistants to begin the final version, in this cas...