Flying Putto c. 1581

Francesco da Urbino made this drawing of a flying putto with pen and brown ink and wash. The image recalls the Italian Renaissance, when a renewed interest in classical antiquity led to the widespread use of putti. The chubby, winged infants we see here were visual metaphors for divine love. Often, they were used in secular contexts as decorations in paintings and sculptures. This particular putto is flying and holds a long, string-like object, which, along with the horizontal lines, gives the sense of movement, typical of Mannerism. To understand the drawing, we must research the artist's life and artistic output, and the social and religious context in which he worked. This is one of the jobs of the art historian – to uncover the many layers of meaning embedded in art and its history.