Two Putti1700s · Study 1916.966

Context from the museum

This painting depicts two playful putti, or cherub figures. One blows his horn into the other's ears; the other covers his ears to protect them. Now obscured by discolored varnish, the painting once had a greenish-blue background, now a mossy green. The pink flesh tones have turned bronze and the gray horn is now a brassy color. In 1519, Correggio painted playful putti in 16 oval ceiling frescoes in the Camera di San Paolo in Parma, Italy. These frescoes were commissioned by the Abbess Gioanna da Piacenza, as the room was her private quarters in the Benedictine nunnery of San Paolo. After the abbess's death, the house was strictly closed to the public for nearly two centuries. Thus Two Putti may be modeled after sketches of the frescoes made during the Abbess's lifetime, or, after the house reopened to the public, the artist may have admired the frescoes directly and modeled these putti after Correggio's originals.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Two Putti is 81.5 cm wide and 103 cm high, equivalent to approximately 32.1 × 40.6 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.79:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.84 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 27.2% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 109.3 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Two Putti in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on canvas, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 81.5 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?