Putti, Cupids and Croquet.

Well, I have been thinking about this for the while, what are the difference between putti and cherubs or even cupids? They all look like ugly babies to me and my mother. I have understood that this was because the artists wanted to show that while they look like babies they actually had a lot of knowledge as they were spirits not babies. Which just makes them look like ugly babies, as I said before. I have understood that putti were more like spirits and therefore secular compared to cherubs which are baby angels with Christian meanings. Cupid fits more with the putti profile since he is usually seen as the offspring of Venus and is often seen with her in paintings and so more pagan. But at Ham I found a picture of Cupid and Putti Playing Croquet and Other Games and I want to know how anyone can tell the difference between the two. 

So I want to look at this more. According to my trusty friends at the OED (ok I don't know them personally but I wish I did) putti are the plural for putto which are "Esp. in Renaissance or Baroque art: a representation of a child, usually a boy, naked or in swaddling clothes; a cherub, a cupid." Which is annoying because they encompass all three in one. Maybe I don't want to be friends with them.

So on to the OED people for Cherub. There are five different definitions but the one most relevant to us is... well apart from being a provincial form for a Barn owl there isn't a definition I want to hear. It either seems to be describing the seat of dwelling of the deity or 'fullness of knowledge' or "a being of a celestial or angelic order." But nowhere does it say they are chubby babies like putti. I did find on 'trusty' Wikipedia that Donatello used putti during the Renaissance but used them with a more Christian meaning and maybe that's where we get the similarities from.

And Cupid is just the son of Venus but we knew that already. I don't seem to be getting anywhere really. I did find somewhere that all cherubs and wings and all that don't are putti but sometimes putti have wings but it just depends on the context. So I haven't really worked out which is which and how one knows but if someone has an easy way of telling please tell me, however I think the important thing that I'm looking over here is that these putti and cupids or whatever are playing CROQUET which is just a wonderful wonderful game. Maybe I should just leave it at that.

Because Croquet is just Awesome.