Alternate Panel Designs with Urn and Putto
17th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink, washed with gray
Dimensions
4-7/8 x 7-3/8 in. (12.4 x 18.8 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Cornelius Vanderbilt, 1880
Accession Number
80.3.596
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate 17th-century drawing titled *Alternate Panel Designs with Ur and Putto*, showcases the anonymous Italian artist's skill in crafting ornate decorative motifs. Rendered in pen and brown ink with subtle gray washes, it presents two variant panel designs featuring classical urns overflowing with garlands and playful putti—chubby, winged child figures akin to Cupids. These elements evoke the exuberant Baroque style prevalent in Italy during the period, where such motifs adorned furniture, wall panels, and architectural interiors to symbolize abundance, love, and antiquity. As a prepa...