putto, amorino definition

A putto (plural putti) is a plumb, often clotheless male child; such infants are frequently included in artwork from the 1400s.  Sometimes putti have wings, but they are not the same as cherubim which are angels.  Putti are non-religious in nature and represent a secular passion.  When a putto is used to portray a cupid, it is referred to as an amorino.  On the other hand, putto gradually came to be known as a symbol of God's omniprescence in Baroque art.  In the ancient classical world of art, infants with wings where thought to impact people's lives.  Putti were generally not used during the Middle Ages.  However, during the 1420s a man named Donatello from Florence brought putti back in a big way and is credited with reinventing putti during the time of the Renaissance.   He used putti in art with Christian messages, sometimes using them as angels playing music.