Madonna and Child in bas-relief - Italy16th century

This marble bas-relief of the Virgin and Child was produced in northern Italy in the second half of the 16th century.
The Virgin, standing, holds Christ in her arms. She is covered by a veil, revealing her wavy hair. Her head is tilted to the right in an exaggerated movement. The Virgin's gentle face is rendered by almond-shaped, pupil-less eyes, a fine, slightly broken nose and a round mouth with a slight smile.
Mary wears dense clothing, including a mantle, which constitutes her veil, decorated with geometrically patterned borders. Her cloak is tucked into her left arm. Her two hands come together to support the Child.
The fabric of her garments falls to her feet, forming intricate folds accentuated by the contrapposto of her right leg. Finally, the Virgin wears sandals on her feet, placed on a roughly sculpted floor.
Christ is in his mother's arms. His right arm is hidden behind Mary's neck, while his left hand rests on the Virgin's torso. The Child's face is turned in the opposite direction to that of the Mother, creating a sense of movement and fluidity in the composition.
Christ's face is round and chubby. He has short, wavy hair, almond-shaped eyes, a thin mouth and a sculpted chin. His body is chubby, covered by a fine cloth. His feet are roughly rendered.
The composition is set in a rectangle with protruding edges. Finely sculpted, it is striking in the absence of a gaze between Mother and Son.
There are, however, a few examples of this particularity, such as a 16th-century bas-relief by Pierino da Vinci, in which the heads of the two figures follow an intense movement, characteristic of Mannerism.
Thus, the movement of the Virgin's head, her apparent contrapposto and the agitation of Christ's body create a certain fluidity within the work, which can be likened to Mannerist movement.