In ancient classical civilizations putti - naked or winged cherubs - were associated with Eros and Cupid. When they re-appeared in the Renaissance their form was similar to the earlier manifestation but they were ascribed a very different character, becoming more akin to angels. In English church architecture they appear particularly in wood carving, stained glass, on funerary monuments and gravestones. The four depicted above are in the quatrefoil at the top of a Victorian stained glass window in the church of St Lawrence, Weston under Penyard, in Herefordshire.
photo © T. Boughen Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2
