Relief; Tuscany, first half of the 15th century.

Relief; Tuscany, first half of the fifteenth century.
Carved marble.
It has flaws, faults and restorations.
Measurements: 52 x 31 x 10 cm.
Relief realized in marble in which is represented the figure of a naked child with an orb between his hands. Therefore, it is evident that the work represents the iconography of the Child of the Ball, and Jesus appears naked, which indicates that it is an image designed to be dressed with real clothes. In spite of this, the carving is magnificently worked in all its details, which indicates the quality of the piece and the mastery and prestige of its author. The iconography of the Child of the Ball alludes to the universality of the Christian doctrine, and consists of the representation of the Child Jesus with a sphere that represents the universe, placed in his hand or under his feet. It is a Triumphant Child, Savior of the World, and symbolizes the idea of Jesus man and savior, lord of all the Earth, which he redeems with his death and resurrection.
The region of Tuscany in the 16th century had completely abandoned the aesthetic precepts of the Gothic in favor of a more naturalistic style, although idealized, based on the Greco-Latin tradition. An example of this is this relief where we can appreciate a great anatomical interest and in which the facial features of the child or the way in which the hair is carved take us to models of antiquity. The Renaissance style, born in Italy, soon spread throughout the European courts and completely changed the concept of decoration. A type of majestic domestic aesthetics took shape, of elegant classical proportions and built with refined wisdom. The decorative theme began to use architectural elements such as columns, plinths, pilasters, balustrades, mirrors, moldings, carved motifs in high and low relief.