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Floating Angels with Image of the Virgin

Unknown

1633

From the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst

Putti

Dominant colour

Floating Angels with Image of the Virgin is a 1633 by Unknown, depicting Putti, held at Statens Museum for Kunst.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1633
Where can I see it?: Statens Museum for Kunst

About this work

This painting shows a group of chubby, naked children—called putti—floating in the sky. Some hold musical instruments, others wave or point. At the center, a woman in a dark dress cradles a baby while surrounded by the children. Below them, a landscape stretches out with hills, trees, and a few tiny figures walking or tending sheep. The putti look like cherubs, but their faces are more serious than playful. Their soft, rounded bodies contrast with the sharp lines of the landscape below. Look up putti to see how they’ve appeared in art for centuries.