Winged Putto Holding the Base of a Cross

"Winged Putto Holding the Base of a Cross" by Titian (Tiziano Vecellio) is an important surviving drawing created during the foundational period of the artist’s career, likely between 1477 and 1510. This dynamic preparatory study exemplifies High Renaissance drawing practice. Titian executed the piece using red chalk, dramatically heightened with white chalk, on a distinctive blue-gray prepared paper. This specific combination of colored chalks on tinted ground allowed the artist to model volume and explore complex interactions of light and shadow, giving the figure an almost sculptural presence. The technique highlights Titian’s masterful approach to human form, emphasizing musculature and anatomical precision in the idealized figure.

The central subject is a powerful, winged putto who strains under the weight of the rough, heavy base of a cross. The depiction of putti figures carrying or struggling with symbolic weights relating to Christ’s Passion was a common trope in Italian Renaissance religious art, often suggesting spiritual support or divine anguish. This work reveals Titian’s mastery of the figure, focusing intensely on the effort and strain conveyed through the shoulders and arms. The Metropolitan Museum of Art houses this exceptional drawing within its permanent collection. Given the age of this masterwork, the image is now part of the public domain, making high-resolution prints and academic studies of this important Titian drawing accessible globally.