Chubby, cheeky toddlers, also known as putti [poot-tee], are typically represented in the renaissance art world as naked and devious. However, putti iconography is not well defined and can have many different interpretations. While often gathered with religious themed winged and non- winged genderless beings (think cherubs and mythical Eros), some academics believe that putti are a separate secular entity of human male children who lack the divinity and innocence of contemporary cherubim and cupids.
In certain classical medical texts, one can find putti woven into historiated initials. These mini illustrations are works of art in their own right and are presented as compact scenes within the border of the first letter of a major section or paragraph. Not only entertaining, they serve a functional purpose by introducing the following text and helping the user navigate the meaning of the scientific concepts and principles, especially if the reader is unfamiliar with the language.
The P. I. Nixon Library has several historical medical texts that contain interesting historiated capitals inhabited by 
putti. Perhaps the most familiar are within the fragile pages of Vesalius’ 1543 De Humani Corporis Fabrica where naughty putti are illustrated performing cringe worthy, unkind, and illegal activities which, at the time, were deemed necessary for the advancement of anatomical reference and science. Scholarly interpretations describe Vesalius’ putti as medical students who are illustrating anatomical stories and skills while highlighting the reckless liberties taken to procure human cadavers. These bodies were desperately needed for accurate dissection at a time when Galen’s anatomical theories had reigned unopposed for centuries.
For example, in Vesalius’ 1543 Fabrica the smaller capital letters “L”, “N”, “O”, and the large letter “I”, depict scenes of putti procuring dead bodies and body parts from the grave and the gallows. The large letter “O” (left) shows a putto placing a skull into a boiling cauldron to remove remnants of tissue, while the small and large “Q” depict vivisections on animals. Putti inhabiting the letter “D” (above) use their surgical skills to prepare the cranium for the dissection of the brain.
Another example in the Nixon Library is William Cheselden’s 1733 atlas Osteographia, or The Anatomy of the
Bones. These putti are seemingly less devious than Vesalius’ crew, as they are depicted as rollicking boys simply introducing the anatomy that will be featured in the following text. For instance, the letter “T” opening the Introduction shows a scene with one putto using a spade to scoop up a skull while others are idling nearby grasping their own bone specimens. Another captial “T” introducing Chapter III: Of the Bones of the Trunk (right), is a scene with a putto chasing other putti while holding out the bones of the torso as one might taunt friends with fresh slimy worms.
Putti pop up in many antiquated texts and it feels like discovering treasure when you find them among the historiated capital letters. So the next time you are browsing a historical medical book, grab a magnifying glass and keep an eye out for these plump mischief makers. Visit us at the Nixon Library on the 5th floor of the Briscoe Library to experience these special gems and more. For more information on the collections of the P. I. Nixon Medical Historical Library, contact us via email: specialcollections@uthscsa.edu or visit https://libguides.uthscsa.edu/specialcollections
References
A guide to the historiated capitals of the 1543 Fabrica. Retrieved from http://www.vesaliusfabrica.com
Alcala, R. (1995). Wrong angel’ (cont’d). Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1995/02/13/wrong-angel-contd/4ecb5d51-fe49-4c1b-83b2-66f927689f7d/?noredirect=on
Cheselden, William. (1733). Osteographia, or the anatomy of the bones. London, England.
Romano, Giulio. (mid-17th century). Detail from the grape harvest tapestry series "Bacchanals". [image]. Retrieved from https://www.sothebys.com/en/slideshows/naughty-putti?slide=detail-from-the-grape-harvest-tapestry-mortlake-tapestry-works-after-designs-by-giulio-romano-mid-17th-century
Vertefeuille, L. (2005). The putto – angels in art. Virtual Library on the Ringling Museum. Retrieved from http://ringlingdocents.org/putto.htm
Vesalius, Andreas. (1543). De humani corporis fabrica. Basle, Switzerland
Wells, L. H. (1962). Note on a historiated initial letter in the Fabrica of Vesalius. Medical History, 6(3), 286-288. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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