Putto met een bol waar een pijl uit steekt 1751 - 1816

Editor: This is "Putto met een bol waar een pijl uit steekt" a drawing by Reinier Vinkeles dating back to somewhere between 1751 and 1816. It’s done in ink on paper. I’m really struck by how delicate it feels. It’s such a tiny figure on a vast expanse of paper. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Ah, yes! A wistful little traveler of the rococo period! It whispers to me of allegory and playfulness. The arrow peeking from the globe implies, perhaps, Cupid, or a playful critique of earthly pursuits. The line work, the shading – doesn’t it seem almost…dreamlike? Imagine the world outside the frame bursting with powdered wigs and social artifice. And here he is! Our little rebel cherub. Don’t you just want to pinch his cheek? What does the symbolism evoke in you? Editor: Well, I can definitely see the dreaminess you are describing and now appreciate the rebelliousness you mentioned. Curator: Exactly! Rococo and Baroque are periods just *dripping* with complexity – layers of meaning beneath all the ornamentation. Perhaps Vinkeles is having a gentle chuckle at it all! This artwork to me speaks about cherubic insouciance meeting weighty issues... a delightful irony, if I might say! It all leaves one wondering… Where will *your* arrow land, eh? Eh? Editor: This has given me a totally different angle to consider these types of drawings, thank you! Curator: The pleasure was all mine. Now, go forth, young scholar, and unravel those symbolic tapestries!