Putti at Play with Deer and Dog
n.d.
Medium
Pen and brown ink over black chalk, on cream laid paper
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
83423
Art Historical Context
In the spirited drawing *Putti at Play with and Dog*, an unknown artist captures a whimsical moment of childhood joy and fantasy. Cherubic putti—those plump, winged infants emblematic of Renaissance and Baroque art—frolic with a gentle deer and a lively dog amid a lively tangle of limbs and fur. This playful composition evokes themes of innocence, harmony between humans and nature, and the exuberance of youth, motifs that delighted European audiences from the 16th to 18th centuries. Executed in pen and brown ink over black chalk on cream laid paper, the work showcases masterful Old Master tec...