Schwebender Putto mit Triangel c. 1847

Moritz von Schwind drew this floating putto with a triangle in Germany sometime in the mid-19th century. It’s hard to look at this drawing without being reminded of similar images of cherubic figures in Renaissance art. The prevalence of this type of imagery in nineteenth-century Germany suggests a cultural desire to connect with a historical past, and to locate Germanness within a longer European tradition. We might consider the role of institutions like museums and academies in shaping taste and in establishing a canon of artistic styles and subjects. The revival of earlier artistic styles can also be seen in terms of social conservatism, particularly in the wake of the Napoleonic wars and the revolutions of 1848. To better understand this drawing, we might research the institutions that shaped artistic training and patronage during this period, as well as the political and social movements that influenced artistic styles and themes. This underscores how art’s meaning is always tied to its social and institutional context.