Vrouw met mandje, een putto met harkachtig gereedschap en twee geiten 1735 - 1800

Giovanni Cattini created this print, "Woman with Basket, a Putto with Rake-like Tool and Two Goats," around the mid-18th century. Here, we observe a scene replete with pastoral imagery: a woman with a basket, goats, and a putto wielding a tool. The putto, often associated with Cupid or Eros, traditionally symbolizes love and desire, but here, he holds a rake, a tool of labor, suggesting a divergence from his common symbolism. We see the symbolic convergence of love, labor, and the pastoral through the ages. The reappearance of the putto-like figure has evolved from the pagan god Eros, to the cherubic angels of Christian art, each transformation layered with new cultural and religious meanings. The image taps into our collective memory, evoking a sense of nostalgia for an idealized past. The emotional resonance of this scene lies in its power to awaken deep-seated desires for simplicity. Ultimately, the artwork underscores the cyclical nature of symbols, their capacity to resurface, evolve, and assume new meanings across different historical contexts.