Putti Pair

About the Artwork

These airborne cherubs probably formed part of the decorations crowning an church altar. One of the putti holds a heart, which would originally have included a flame (now lost). An expression of religious fervor, the burning heart also referenced the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which in Christian imagery symbolized Christ’s love for humanity.

Provenance

Kurt Rossacher (Salzburg, Austria), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1971.

Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1971. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1971-February 6, 1972).

Quick Overview

Artist: Ferdinand Tietz (Austrian, 1708–1777)
Date: mid-1700s
Medium: painted and gilded wood
Dimensions: Overall: 55.9 x 41.9 x 41.9 cm (22 x 16 1/2 x 16 1/2 in.)
Type: Sculpture
Classification: Sculpture
Department: European Painting and Sculpture
Credit line: John L. Severance Fund
Accession no.: 1971.8

More by Ferdinand Tietz in museum collections

Orpheus and Cerberus
Ferdinand Tietz
c. 1765 · Sculpture
Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of ArtAT-00010717
Putto
Ferdinand Tietz
mid-1700s · Sculpture
Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of ArtAT-00010776
Putto
Ferdinand Tietz
mid-1700s · Sculpture
Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of ArtAT-00010791
Putto as Spring
Ferdinand Tietz
c. 1765 · Sculpture
Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of ArtAT-00010874

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.