Putto zittend op een bok 1512 - 1610

This small, anonymous engraving depicts a putto riding a goat. It belongs to a larger cultural moment in Northern Europe, likely Germany, when the fine arts were entwined with the rise of printmaking. The image itself is filled with visual and historical associations. A putto is a classical motif representing innocence and divine love, while the goat often symbolized virility and untamed nature. We might therefore ask whether this image aims to resolve or perhaps even satirize these conflicting ideas. The engraving’s size and medium suggest that it was likely intended for private contemplation and for circulation amongst collectors and enthusiasts, as opposed to public display. To better understand this artwork, we might turn to emblem books, illustrated volumes which were popular at the time. These books combined images with allegorical texts, providing a rich source of information. It is through this type of study that we can restore the complex relationship between art and its social life.