Twee putti met een guirlande van fruit en het wapen van kardinaal Jules Mazarin 1639 - 1643

Claude Mellan made this print of two putti with a garland of fruit and the coat of arms of Cardinal Jules Mazarin, but we don't know when. Mellan was working during a period of religious and political conflict, the Thirty Years' War, which had a great impact on his work and artistic choices. The putti, or cherubic figures, often symbolize innocence and divine love. In this print, they are set against the coat of arms of Cardinal Mazarin, a powerful figure in French politics. Mazarin's influence extended into cultural spheres. As a patron of the arts, he was strategic in his commissioning of artwork to cultivate a public image of power and sophistication. What do you make of the weight these chubby cherubs carry? The garland could symbolize abundance, prosperity, and divine favor, reinforcing Mazarin's image. The juxtaposition of these figures encourages us to reflect on the relationship between power, innocence, and representation in the Baroque era.