Bust of the Christ Child

This bust of a young boy has been traditionally identified as depicting the Christ child, even though the metal halo is a nineteenth-century addition. The bust may once have been coupled with one of the young St. John the Baptist, as such pairings were popular in Florence during the second half of the fifteenth century. Executed in marble, terra-cotta, or stucco, similar busts were produced in sizable numbers in the workshops of artists such as the Rossellino brothers, Bernardo and his younger brother Antonio, as well as Desiderio da Settignano. These devotional images were used both in private settings, for domestic devotion, and as decorative elements in religious buildings.