Drie putti in het water 1618 - 1655

Cornelis Schut created this print, “Three Putti in the Water,” sometime in the first half of the 17th century. This lighthearted image of cherubic children playing in a marsh gives us a glimpse into the visual culture of the period. Schut was Flemish and he worked in Antwerp, which at the time was a major center for the production and trade of art. The Catholic Church was a significant patron, and religious themes were common, but artists also responded to a growing market for secular subjects. Prints like this one were relatively inexpensive and circulated widely. The scene may be simply playful. But the basket containing snakes might hint at a deeper meaning, perhaps an allegory relating to childhood innocence. As an art historian, I'd want to dig deeper into the print's symbolism. Looking at emblem books and other illustrated sources from the period might help reveal the cultural associations that would have been obvious to Schut's contemporaries. In this way we learn more about the social life of art.