Terms and conditions of use
Dancing putti
(c. 1605-1607)
Medium
bronze
Measurements
50.2 × 81.5 × 83.0 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1956
Gallery location
16th & 17th Century Gallery - Painting and Sculpture
Mezzanine linked to Level 1, NGV International
About this work
Small cherubic figures, sometimes winged, sometimes earthy and Bacchic, abound in Renaissance art. Several names exist for them: putti, cupidi, eroti or spiritelli. Depending on their context, these small figures could have pagan or Christian meanings, or both. Girolamo Campagna was a leading Venetian sculptor of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries who specialised in these stolid yet graceful sprites for architectural settings. The motif is rare in sculpture and is possibly inspired by a Venetian woodcut of putti sporting around a fountain-like vat, reproduced in Colonna’s celebrated 1499 romance Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (Dream of Poliphilus). The unusual ring formation of the group indicates its possible intended function as an ornamental fountain surround.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Italy
Accession Number
1662-D4
Department
International Sculpture
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited