Putto and Angel Holding a Banderole 1706

Antonio Franchi, also known as Il Lucchese, created this drawing of a "Putto and Angel Holding a Banderole" in the late 17th century. Born in Florence, Franchi's artistic endeavors intersected with a period of significant religious and cultural shifts. Angels, ubiquitous in Western art history, are often portrayed as ethereal, androgynous beings. Franchi's work, however, complicates these traditional readings. The sensuousness with which the angel and putto are rendered suggests a more complex, even erotic, relationship. What happens when we consider these celestial figures not as symbols of divine purity, but as embodiments of human desire? The banderole the figures hold remains blank, yet their gazes meet, inviting us to fill in the narrative. Is it a message of hope, a declaration of love, or a divine decree? Perhaps Franchi asks us to look inward, to find our own truths reflected in their ambiguously intimate exchange.