Standing Putto Holding Tablet
n.d.
Medium
Pen and brown ink with brush and brown wash, over black chalk, on ivory laid paper, laid down on blue laid paper
Dimensions
21.1 × 15 cm (8 5/16 × 5 15/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
85052
Art Historical Context
In the Prints and Drawings department of the Art Institute of Chicago resides a delicate preparatory drawing, *Standing Putto Holding Tablet*, by the Italian Mannerist artist Lazzaro Tavarone (active late 16th–early 17th century in Lucca). Tavarone, known for his contributions to religious frescoes and architectural decorations in Tuscan churches, often employed cherubic putti—playful, winged child figures symbolizing innocence and divine joy—in his compositions. This undated sheet captures a single standing putto gracefully clutching a tablet, likely a study for a larger fresco or altarpiece,...