Some were porcelain, others gold, others bronze, some concrete, some made of paper mache; some are sculptured pieces, some designed into elaborate fountains, some were tiny shaped earrings, some are statues, and more. I often had thought of hanging my putti angels over the some doorway, but I never did. I couldn’t get high enough to put in picture hooks sturdy enough to hang them, even though each has two rings on the back for hooks. They are cute, happy-looking gold cherubs, and I never knew they were called “putti.” I will now share from the internet the following information.
“Putto (plural, putti) is winged infants who either play the role of angelic spirits in religious works, or act as instruments of profane love. They are often shown as associates of Cupid. In art history, a putto is a chubby, often naked, male child figure, typically with wings, frequently appearing in art, particularly during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The word ‘putto’ comes from the Latin ‘putus,’ meaning ‘boy.’ Putti can represent a range of concepts, including innocence, love, and divine influence, and they often appear in scenes with mythological figures like Venus and Cupid." Cupids are putti with arrows and mischievous eyes. Cherubs are putti often found flying around the edges of religion scenes, bearing witness to the Virgin Mary.
Now we know more than I ever knew about the two putti I own. We put the smiling cherubs on eBay, and priced them. We got no takers. We lowered the price. Still no buyers, although we got some hits. It seems that not many people today are collecting putti. But, there are hundreds of people selling their putti. I believe there will come a time, when a putto will be a sought after item, so I’ll donate my two putti to my daughters or granddaughters. Surely they will find a place for them, or perhaps put them on the top shelf of their linen closets. In all seriousness, these are quite interesting. Each baby face with wings is smiling, happy-looking, and deserves to be enjoyed.
These also are lacquered gold or gold plated, and I’ve no idea where my husband’s aunt found them. I guess she probably picked them up in Florence or Rome and hauled them back to America. She was a fashion and hat designer and in the 1920s had her own hat shop on Fifth Avenue in New York. She probably placed them there. Who knows? It was all long ago.