Giuseppe Barberi, Italian, 1746–1809 - Seated Putto with Medallion - ca. 1783 - T-Shirt

A seated putto holds an oval mirror in a pen-and-brown-wash drawing by Giuseppe Barberi, made around 1783 in the neoclassical taste of late eighteenth-century Rome.

Visual Elements & Composition

The drawing is built from warm, earthy tones: sepia brown dominates the sheet, with pale ivory and cream paper forming the light areas and dark brown ink supplying the crisp contour lines. The putto sits at the centre of a vertical sheet, its body modelled in soft wash while the pen work sharpens the edges of the limbs and the oval mirror. The reflected figure sits inside the oval, and an ornamental finial with a cartouche rises above, framing the composition. A faint inscription on the sheet reads "Scudo di Rosso vivo di sopra Campo in mezzo facto l'opera d'Argento con le nuove."

Meaning & Symbolism

Putti were classical spirits of play, love and divine presence, carried from ancient decoration into Renaissance art and prized by eighteenth-century collectors for their innocence. The oval mirror adds a layer of reflection and self-regard, a motif that connects the figure to ideas of memory and virtue. Barberi was a prolific draftsman and architect, and this sheet reflects the preparatory and decorative work that made up much of his output, showing his controlled line and delicate handling of light.

Designed for the Shirt

A seated figure with a mirror suits a chest-level print, where the oval sits at eye height and the drawing reads as a single, centred vignette. The brown-and-ivory palette lets the pen lines hold their character against the shirt, so the wash tones stay close to the drawing's original feel as you wear it.