Cupid playing a harp

This statuette belongs to a group of putti, seven of which are in the V&A collection, mostly holding flutes, harps, tambourines and violins in their hands. They are generally attributed to Nicolò Roccatagliata (active about 1593-1636), although similar pieces were also produced in the workshops of Giuseppe de Levis and Andrea di Alessandro del Brescianino. However, the excellent quality of the cast and gilding, as well as the delicately chiselled drapery, hair and wings, allow us to ascribe them to the studio of Roccatagliata. The majority of these small bronzes were probably made to decorate chairs, wardrobes and other pieces of furniture, as embellishments of this type were extremely popular at the end of the sixteenth century.