Genius Riding on a Ball
1520
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1520
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Genius Riding on a Ball is a 1520 by Barthel Beham, a Renaissance work, depicting putto, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A nude woman rides a giant ball through a stormy sky. Lightning splits the clouds behind her. One hand holds a staff. The other points down at a tiny town far below. This image comes from a German print of 1520. The artist used tiny, precise lines to carve the scene into metal. Scholars think the woman may be a personification of fortune or genius. Want to see more like this? Look up Barthel Beham at The Cleveland Museum of Art.
