Putti, in the ancient classical world of art, were winged infants that were believed to influence human lives.
Though putti are often confused with cherubs, which today are synonymous with chubby, rosy, innocent infants, the angelic cherubim were first interpreted from a passage in the Book of Ezekiel as supernatural beings with hooves, wings and four faces – human, lion, ox and eagle.
Beyond cute: a brief history of cupids, cherubs and putti in art
Putto, a nude chubby child figure, often with wings, frequently appearing in both mythological and religious paintings and sculpture, especially of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Derived from personifications of love, or Eros figures, in Greek and Roman art, putti came to be used to portray.
Putti are generic winged babies, Cupids are putti with arrows, and cherubs are putti with religious connotations. What other art terms or paintings are you curious about?
Putto (plural, putti) are winged infants who either play the role of angelic spirits in religious works, or act as instruments of profane love. They are often shown as associates of Cupid. They have their origin in Greek and Roman antiquity (the latin word putus means little man).
Putti are chubby, sometimes winged, and often naked childlike figures that were derived from Greco-Roman depictions of Eros. Putti were common motifs in art from the Renaissance through the 18th century.
Putti were secular, sometimes profane and definitely not part of the nine choirs of angels. However, in the Baroque period of art, the putto was often used in a religious context and the distinction between being secular and ecclesiastic became less defined.