Studieblad met diverse putti 1629

Nicolaes Lauwers produced this study sheet with various putti using pen and brown ink, sometime in the 17th century, here in the Netherlands. What might this collection of chubby, winged infants signify? The image doesn't seem to be connected to any obvious narrative. Instead, these images seem to reflect a turn to the classical world in the Netherlands during this period. In fact, Lauwers based these putti on the work of the famous Italian artist, Peter Paul Rubens. Looking closely, you can see the artist's focus on representing the human form, a key element of classical art, even if his subjects are infants. The prevalence of the classical style demonstrates the power of artistic institutions. Despite the prominence of Dutch Realism at this time, we still see artists looking to the academies of Italy for inspiration. Careful attention to the social context and institutional history helps us to understand the meaning and significance of this study sheet.