The Virgin and Christ child, Savoy, 16th century

terracotta relief, the three quarter length relief with the crowned Virgin tenderly holding the standing Christ child, the Virgin's tresses falling to her shoulders, her cloak and shift with intricate borders

Sold with a thermoluminescence analysis report from Oxford Authentication stating that the sample (N202c12) was last fired between 300 and 500 years ago, i.e. between 1500 and 1700.

This finely worked terracotta relief is difficult to place as it appears to be a combination of Northern and Italian styles; note the benevolent expression of the Virgin and the intricate tooling to her drapery which would indicate a Northern origin, and the stance of the Child and the Virgin which is Italian in origin. Compare with the full length figure of the Virgin and Child in the Louvre, attributed to Savoy.

RELATED LITERATURE
Sculptures Français, catalogue, Museé du Louvre, Paris, 1996, p.196