Putti in Clouds, Supporting a Globe
mid-17th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash; framing lines in pen and brown ink
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 1/8 in. × 5 in. (20.7 × 12.7 cm) Mount: 8 7/16 × 5 1/4 in. (21.4 × 13.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 2014
Accession Number
2014.618
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing, *Putti in Clouds, Supporting a Globe*, captures a lively celestial scene the mid-17th century. Created with pen and brown ink heightened by brush and wash, the sheet showcases the fluid, expressive techniques favored by Flemish artists of the Baroque period. The composition centers on playful putti—cherubic figures—emerging from billowing clouds as they bear a large globe aloft, suggesting themes of divine support, worldly knowledge, or cartographic wonder popular in the era. The work is associated with the circle of Anthony van Dyck, whose dynamic style influenced many...