Putti with Mallets and Balls

Polidoro da Caravaggio painted these Putti with Mallets and Balls around 1525, a secular decorative subject depicting playful cupids or putti engaged in a game that combined the physical grace of athletic play with the visual charm of chubby infant figures. Putto play scenes derived from the abundant ancient repertoire of erotes and putti engaged in games, hunting, harvesting grapes, and other activities that were transmitted through the study of ancient sarcophagi and Villa decoration. Polidoro's extensive study of ancient sculpture during his time restoring and working alongside ancient monuments in Rome gave him a precise classical vocabulary for such subjects. His decorative putto compositions served the demand for classical decorative objects in humanist collecting culture.

The playful scene of putti at play is rendered with the classical grace and rhythmic movement characteristic of Polidoro's decorative work. The composition reflects his thorough understanding of ancient Roman ornamental design.