Flying Putti, Surrounding Archangel Raphael

About this artwork

"Flying Putti, Surrounding Archangel Raphael" by Rudolf Meyer|Conrad Meyer (Swiss) from 1631–32 represents an important work in drawings. Created in pen and brown and black ink, gray and brown wash, heightened in white, this work demonstrates technical skill and artistic vision. This drawing provides insight into artistic process. The artwork reflects aesthetic values of its time, offering insight into artistic practices and cultural context. It demonstrates the evolution of artistic expression ...

Art Historical Context

This delicate drawing from 1631–32 captures Archangel Raphael encircled by lively putti in flight, a subject that reflects the enduring popularity of religious imagery in early seventeenth-century Switzerland. Created by the Swiss artists Rudolf Meyer and Conrad Meyer, the work exemplifies the Baroque interest in dynamic movement and heavenly drama, where angels often served as messengers of divine protection and guidance. Such compositions were common in devotional art, inviting viewers to contemplate themes of faith and celestial wonder. Executed in pen and brown and black ink with gray and brown washes, heightened in white, the drawing demonstrates remarkable technical skill. The layered washes and white highlights create a sense of volume and luminous energy, bringing the fluttering figures to life on the small sheet. Drawings like this one frequently served as preparatory studies for prints or larger paintings, offering insight into the collaborative artistic practices of the period. Now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, “Flying Putti, Surrounding Archangel Raphael” preserves a vivid glimpse into Swiss Baroque draftsmanship and the cultural role of angelic imagery in everyday devotion.