Putti Carrying Organ Pipes 1600 - 1700

This anonymous 17th-century drawing titled "Putti Carrying Organ Pipes," is a preparatory study for a larger ceiling composition. Featuring a group of cherubs carrying a large organ aloft amongst swirling clouds, the drawing demonstrates the dynamic, energetic style characteristic of Baroque art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York houses this small-scale work, which likely served as a guide for a fresco or other mural. The piece exemplifies the popular theme of angelic musicians, a motif that resonated with the Baroque emphasis on spectacle and divine celebration.