Seven putti carrying a garland of fruit 1775 - 1787

Curator: Look at this delightful 18th-century engraving, "Seven Putti Carrying a Garland of Fruit," attributed to Heinrich Schmitz. The original artwork is housed right here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. What catches your eye first? Editor: Immediately, the sheer physicality of it! You've got these plump little cherubs clearly struggling under the weight of this enormous garland. It speaks volumes about labor, even in the realm of idealized beauty. Curator: Precisely! It's interesting to consider what that labor actually entails, artistically and symbolically. The garland itself, overflowing with grapes, apples, and other fruits, is a traditional symbol of abundance, harvest, and earthly delights. Do you think there are any social implications of how these specific cherubic figures are involved? Editor: Absolutely. It makes me think of the broader societal context. I mean, who gets to enjoy this abundance, and who bears the weight of its creation? The engraving process, itself—etching, labor and consumption are intertwined, too. Curator: It’s an interesting thought when we relate it to the baroque artistic style. And how the putti have varying facial expressions and levels of exertion. One's almost slipping, which is unusual, because often artworks want to idealize such laborers, no? Editor: And they seem oddly isolated even with all this contact between them as they transport this absurd harvest, if it really existed in the real world. They seem cut off by that labor, their expressions so determined and a little pained... The contrast makes you question the easy joy of Baroque aesthetics. Curator: Perhaps that tension adds to its staying power. So what do we take away from it after we have discussed the material and its allegorical context? Editor: It pushes us to look beneath the surface. To ask: Whose labor makes beauty possible, and at what cost? It brings an important dimension. Curator: I concur. The layers within are delightful. A true abundance for the mind, too, then.