Three Children with a Tray and Three Goblets

The Italian Baroque painter Guido Reni was celebrated for his depictions of pious Madonnas and saints, and sweet chubby angels and children. In this etching, he represents three naked boys playfully and precariously carrying a tray with three goblets. It seems at any moment one of them might stumble and the glasses will tumble to the floor. While printmaking was a secondary pursuit of the artist, Reni was both prolific—executing over fifty etchings—and extremely influential in the medium. This particular image was widely emulated by artists into the nineteenth century.