Cherub and shell
possibly 1470s
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
Overall (wt. confirmed): 15 1/2 x 17 1/2 in., 31lb. (39.4 x 44.5 cm, 14.0615kg) [Weight shell: 11.75 kg; Weight head: 1.75 kg]
Classification
Sculpture-Bronze
Culture
Italian, Florence
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Alastair Bradley Martin, 1958
Accession Number
58.115
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection, *Cherub and Shell* is a delightful bronze sculpture from 1470s Florence, crafted by an artist closely associated with the master Donatello. This intimate work captures the Renaissance fascination with putti—those plump, mischievous childlike angels symbolizing joy and innocence. Donatello's influence shines through in its lively naturalism and fluid anatomy, hallmarks of early Florentine Renaissance sculpture that bridged Gothic traditions with classical revival. Cast in bronze using the sophisticat...