Border Illustration with Two Putti and Fruit
1613/1646
Medium
engraving on laid paper [proof before letters]
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
William B. O'Neal Fund
Accession Number
1996.78.44
Art Historical Context
**Border Illustration with Two Put and Fruit** Cornelis Galle I, a Flemish engraver active in Antwerp during the early Baroque era, created this enchanting border design around 1613, with possible later impressions up to 1646. Galle, known for his intricate reproductive prints after Peter Paul Rubens and other leading artists, captures two playful putti—cherubic figures symbolizing joy and abundance—frolicking amid lush fruit. These motifs evoke the opulent still-life traditions of the Dutch and Flemish Golden Age, where fruit often represented prosperity and the fleeting pleasures of life. ...