Putto standing on a globe with a serpent (Christ Child)

This ivory statuette representing Child Christ with a serpent, is made in the Netherlands in ca. 1650.

Ivory was popular as a material for religious subjects, especially during the 17th and 18th centuries. Spanish and Portuguese patrons imported ivories carved with Christian imagery from their territories overseas, such as the Philippines, Mexico and Goa. German and Netherlandish artists were renowned for their dexterity in ivory carving. Their reliefs are masterpieces of composition and virtuosity.

This is one of several figures of the Christ Child that which were probably carved by South Netherlandish sculptors in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, almost certainly for devotional purposes. It is still somewhat Italianate in quality, possibly suggesting that they were produced by South Netherlandish artists working in Italy.