Design with an Eagle Fighting with a Serpent and a Putto in the Sky Holding an Inscribed Banner. 1600 - 1700

Pietro da Cortona made this drawing, "Design with an Eagle Fighting with a Serpent and a Putto in the Sky Holding an Inscribed Banner," using pen and brown ink with brush and gray wash. Consider the era in which Cortona lived: the 17th century, a period marked by religious and political conflict. Here, an eagle, often a symbol of power and empire, battles a serpent, representing chaos or evil. Above, a putto carries a banner with an inscription, hinting at divine favor or a moral message. The drawing, beyond its immediate allegorical content, hints at the anxieties and power dynamics of its time. It invites us to contemplate the struggles between opposing forces—order and disorder, good and evil—and the potential for divine intervention or moral guidance in these conflicts. It stirs questions about the nature of power, the inevitability of conflict, and the hope for resolution.