Siddende vinget putto 16th century

This small statuette of a winged putto was made anonymously, most likely somewhere in Europe. It is cast in bronze, a material prized for its durability and ability to capture fine detail. Look closely and you can see the telltale signs of the lost wax casting process, tiny imperfections that speak to the handwork involved. The figure is frozen mid-motion; he seems to be sitting, wings spread, with a bird at his feet. Bronze casting was a skilled trade, often organized in workshops, involving multiple steps from creating a wax model to pouring molten metal. The putto, a symbol of innocence and divine love, reflects cultural values and beliefs of the time, but also the economic structures that supported its production. It challenges us to look beyond aesthetic appreciation and consider the labor and cultural context embedded in the object.