Cherubs started as artistic Biblical images and religious icons seen on church buildings, but their beauty and symbolism inspired artists to make them prominent figures and characters in paintings, frescoes, and sculptures. these winged beings, often depicted as childlike angels, are famous images in art history and are often seen in scultpures for the garden. Cherubs are very similar in appearance to, and at times synonymous to: angels, putti, seraphim, and cupid. Cherubs most often symbolize godly or romantic love, as displayed in our Love Letter Sculptural Box.

Cherubs first appeared as images painted on the walls of Jewish temples during Bible times. They continued to appear in Christian art, but after the Renaissance, putti overtook the traditional Christian image of cherubs as angelic messengers of God. Originally, putti were defined as souls that looked like winged children, instead of actually being cherubs, which were religious symbols. Thus, cherubs or putti transitioned in art to simply being sweet, playful creatures like our  popular Angelic Play Hanging Sculpture.

Putti also made their way onto church frescoes and into the works of Renaissance painters such as Raffaelleo Sanzio (Raphael) who painted the famous two cherubs in the detail of the Sistine Chapel Madonna. Raphael’s Cherub sculptures are depicted as young childlike creatures with pudgy, soft skin, and innocent faces. The cherubs gaze heavenward toward the Madonna, deep in thought and adoration.

Even though historically, Putti and Cherubs were different (Putti were profane; Cherubs, sacred), “Putto” and “Cherub” are now used interchangeably in art to describe the image of a winged, childlike angel, such as our Sleepy Time Sculptural Angel and our Afternoon Nap Angel  garden angel sculptures.   Found in Italian Renaissance art and beyond, putti are usually male, pudgy, and naked. The word “putto” literally means child in Italian. Putti and cherubs can be found in secular art in addition to religious art. The best-known putti artists are Raphael and Donatello and those who modeled their artwork after these masters.

Sleepy Time Sculptural Angel

Cupid and Psyche, the romantic painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau exhibits putti beautifully, employing their help in inspiring Cupid and Eros to discover love. We’ve captured this famous image in marble sculpture and wall frieze.

 

Afternoon Nap Angel Sculpture.