What Do You Call Those Tiny, Winged Babies?
A quick guide for telling Cupid, putti, and cherubs apart
Venus on the Waves, 1769, François Boucher. Oil on canvas, 107 1/2 × 34 1/8 × 2 1/2 in. Getty Museum, 71.PA.54
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How do you describe a work of art?
With art terms, of course! We’ve heard your questions about works of art at Getty, and we’re here to answer your Frequently Asked Art Questions (FAAQs).
Today, we're clearing up a common point of confusion: what, exactly, do you call those tiny, winged babies in classical and clasically-styled works of art? Let’s take a look at a few paintings at Getty to get clear on the differences between a putto, a cherub, and a Cupid.
Watch the video, or read on below!
First, let's take a look at Venus on the Waves by François Boucher. It’s a long one. We'll see you after the scroll.
Venus on the Waves, 1769, François Boucher. Oil on canvas, 107 1/2 × 34 1/8 × 2 1/2 in. Getty Museum, 71.PA.54
What Is a Putto?
When attempting to identify a winged baby in art, a good question to ask is: “what is that baby doing?” Let's apply that to the pair of winged babies at the top of the painting.
These two are playing keep away with the golden Apple of Discord (you can read more about the symbolism in Venus on the Waves here) and they've pilfered a few of Venus’ roses to make a flower crown.
If you spot a winged baby in art doing something similarly mischievous, chances are, it's a putto. In fact, because putto is the generic term for all winged babies, no matter what you spot a winged baby doing, it's technically a putto. But, we can be a little more specific.
What Is a Cupid?
To spot a Cupid, let's take a look at the bottom of Venus on the Waves. What is this winged baby or putto doing? He's holding a quiver of arrows. That's Cupid, the love putto’s, hallmark. Another way to identify a putto is to ask, “who is he with?”
A Young Girl Defending Herself against Love, about 1880, William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Oil on canvas, 32 1/8 × 22 3/4 in. Getty Museum, 70.PA.3
Many Cupids can be found hanging out with Venus or Aphrodite as in Venus on the Waves. Cupids can also be caught hanging around their potential targets. Cupid’s arrows are destined for those about to fall in love or, as in the Getty painting A Young Girl Defending Herself against Love, those who don’t currently have time for a crush.
Plaque Representing the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, 1730–1740, Francesco Natale Juvara. Silver; gilt bronze; lapis lazuli, 27 7/16 × 20 1/2 in. Getty Museum, 85.SE.127
What Is a Cherub?
To spot a cherub, we’ll need to make a genre shift. Cherubs are putti with religious connotations. What will you find them doing? Often, they are flying around the edges of religious scenes in art, flanking the pious. Above, they bear witness to the Virgin Mary, the plaque’s central figure.
And that’s what you need to know about winged babies at Getty! Putti are generic winged babies, Cupids are putti with arrows, and cherubs are putti with religious connotations.
What other art terms or paintings are you curious about? Let us know on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or email us at stories@getty.edu.
