the seated Virgin modelled in relief as she turns to look to her right and supporting the naked Christ Child with a book on her lap, the young St John the Baptist peers over her shoulder, the cherub on her brow indicating her knowledge of the prophesies,

Michelangelo carved the original marble roundel for Bartolomeo Pitti, nephew of the Chancellor of Florence, in around 1501-6. It was blocked out but never finished.

A similar casting of this work can be found in the Cast Courts at The Victoria & Albert Museum. The Florentine formatore Oronzio Lelli created it for the South Kensington Museum in 1876.

Michelangelo later produced the comparable “Taddei Tondo”, the original of which is now at The Royal Academy and was also reproduced for the V&A by 1902 – the two casts are displayed together in the Cast Courts behind the full size casting of David – the marble figure that Michelangelo was working on at the time of these roundels.

This plaster reproduction is likely originated from those moulds and is cast more recently: mid 20th Century. It is reinforced with hessian and battens to the reverse.