Three putti before a large garland, the one in the middle rides an ostrich, from a series of tapestries made for Leo X

Art Historical Context

Delight in the whimsical charm of *Three Putti before a Large Garland, the One in the Middle R an Ostrich*, an exquisite engraving from around 1530–40, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of's Drawings and Prints department. This-state print, measuring 8¼ × 11 inches, captures three playful putti—cherubic childlike figures—frolicking before an opulent garland, with central one astride a fanciful ostrich. Birds lush garlands frame the scene, evoking the joyous decorative motifs of Renaissance art. Designed in the orbit of Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino), the High Renaissance master, thi...