Minneapolis Institute of Art

Cupid breaking his bow

Lorenzo Loli; after Giovanni Andrea Sirani

Date

1640

Medium

Etching

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Something has gone terribly wrong. A putto is shackled to a rocky outcropping. In his left hand is an arrow. He looks on in distress as another putto breaks his bow with his knee. Did the putto being punished shoot the wrong lover? Lorenzo Loli was a Bolognese artist who trained with Guido Reni and Giovanni Andrea Sirani. He made a number of prints based on their designs, including this etching from a series of playful images of putti after drawings by Sirani. Putti, naked boys, and angels were among his favored subjects. 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.