Two Putti Supporting a Torch

1650–1700

Flemish

In this terracotta sculpture, a pouting putto and his companion flank an elaborate candelabra with a lit torch. The surfaces of the fleshy baby bodies and architectural elements retain the striations and marks of the sculptor’s tools, an indication that this work was not a finished product. Artists considered terracotta, a type of ceramic characterized by its reddish-brown color, an ideal medium for models. Such models served as guides for their assistants to begin the final version, in this case likely an element of a larger sculptural ensemble.

Status: On View, Gallery 208
Department: Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist: Flemish
Title: Two Putti Supporting a Torch
Place: Netherlands (Object made in:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1650–1700
Medium: Terracotta on slate
Dimensions: 35.2 × 27.9 × 7.3 cm (13 7/8 × 11 × 2 7/8 in.)
Credit Line: Through prior purchase with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. John Golitz; through prior bequest of Hans G. Cahen
Reference Number: 1987.2
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/93280/manifest.json

Galerie Bellanger, Paris, by 1986 [according to letters from Patrice Bellanger to Ian Wardropper, August – November 1986, in curatorial file]; sold to the Art Institute, 1987.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.