Virgin and Child in marble - Italy 16th century

This 16th-century marble sculpture of the Virgin and Child comes from southern Italy.
The Virgin's face is calm and gentle, her wide eyes seemingly scrutinizing the viewer. Her long hair falls delicately down her back. She is dressed in a belted gown, the folds of which are elegantly held over her arm. The falls of the garment form lovely antique-style folds, covering her feet. The Virgin holds the Christ Child in her left hand and, in her right, a scepter surmounted by a fleur-de-lys.
Christ is shown as a chubby, curly-haired child, looking slightly to the right. His right hand is raised in a sign of blessing (i.e., the thumb, index and middle fingers are raised). With his left hand, he holds an orb surmounted by a cross.
Both figures have flat tops, with a hole in the center, showing traces of removable crowns.
It is clear that this sculpture incorporates many symbols associated with power and royalty, such as the crown, the scepter, the cruciferous orb and the gesture made by the Child, all of which can be found on the Bâtons de Justice.
The scepter held in one hand by the Virgin Mary is a secular symbol of royal power. In Frankish times, the fleur-de-lys at the end of the scepter was a symbol of fertility. Since it's held by the Virgin Mary, the scepter has a double symbolism: royalty and the Virgin's virginal maternity.
In addition to the orb and the fleur-de-lis scepter, the king often carried a hand of justice. This staff, with a hand at the end, exactly mirrors the gesture made by the infant Jesus. This supports the idea that the king dispenses justice as dictated by the higher power.
The child is seated against his mother's arm, fully clothed in flesh, with only a piece of cloth covering his lower body. His face looks peaceful, with cheeks that stand out and support his childlike side.
The cruciferous orb he holds in his left hand is a symbol of authority used since the Middle Ages in Western religious iconography. For Christians, the globe represents Christ's temporal and spiritual dominion over the world. From the 15th century onwards, this topos came to be known as the "Salvator Mundi", or Savior of the World.
However, in the case of kings, the globe symbolizes the earth and thus shows the sovereign's world domination, while the cross is there to confirm his Christian faith, and that his power comes from God. As can be seen from the coins minted in the Byzantine Empire. The orb is therefore a component of the symbols of imperial and royal power, just like the scepter and the hand of justice.
This is a work that greatly emphasizes the royal nature of Christ. Shown as a true sovereign, the Infant, still carried by his mother, will reign over his followers as Christ the King.