Playing cherubs 

Gaspare Diziani made this pen and brush drawing of playing cherubs. The loose sketch captures cherubs, winged infant angels that became popular motifs in European art, particularly during the Baroque period. Diziani was a Venetian painter whose art coincided with a decline in Venetian power and wealth. Ecclesiastical institutions, like the Catholic Church, were key patrons during this era and the cherub became a symbol of divine love and heavenly innocence within religious contexts. By understanding these images, we can delve into the cultural values of 18th-century Venice and how art reflected and reinforced those values. A cultural historian might explore how these cherubic representations served ideological purposes. By researching period documents, literature, and religious texts, we can better understand the social conditions that influenced Diziani’s artistic choices.