Minneapolis Institute of Art
Four Frolicking Putti
Marcantonio RaimondiLinkedCulture matchlcp-cc21a2bc5d2c
- Date
- 1506
- Medium
- Engraving
- Department
- European Art
- Institution
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Object ID
- 120450
From the Minneapolis Institute of Art record
This puzzling early work, precisely dated September 18, 1506, on the pedestal carried by one of the putti, takes inspiration from a variety of sources both ancient and contemporary. The figures are closely related to ones found on Roman sarcophagi (stone coffins). If Marcantonio saw the example now in the Princeton University Art Museum, then he took the figures struggling with a herm and recast them using the physique of the putti seen in other parts of the frieze. Some of the trees are lifted straight from a Dürer woodcut. The winged anchor held by the central putto likely refers to the ancient Latin adage Festina Lente (make haste slowly), a motto adopted by Aldus Manutius, the prolific Renaissance publisher of classical texts. Italy, Europe
The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Get printable QR codesHide QR codes
Open QR codes for this object page and the museum record. They stay collapsed until needed.
Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Gift of Elizabeth, Julie, and Catherine Andrus in memory of John and Marion Andrus
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Minneapolis Institute of Art and other institutions.