Vier putti, waarvan één met een helm en vaandel 1618 - 1655

Cornelis Schut created this miniature etching of four putti. Here, the putti are not mere cherubs, but carriers of potent symbols. One dons a helmet and brandishes a vaandel—a flag—echoing ancient Roman iconography of military victory and civic pride. This motif of the vaandel, a symbol of triumph, transcends time. We see its echoes in Renaissance processional banners, and even in modern political demonstrations where flags rally collective emotion. The helmet worn by the putto reminds us of Mars, the god of war, yet here it adorns a child, suggesting a transformation of martial power into a celebration of innocence and future potential. Such symbolism is no accident. It's a conscious, or perhaps subconscious, reaching back to a wellspring of cultural memory. The putti, traditionally symbols of love and innocence, here take on the weight of history, embodying a complex interplay of power, triumph, and the cyclical nature of human endeavor. They remind us that even in the smallest of forms, the past is always present.