In contrast to the image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception which is closely related to Flemish art, this sculpture of the Virgin and Child, also by Manuel da Rocha, is a significantly more naturalistic representation. The religiousness emanated by both works, the sobriety, the tenderness and serenity conducive to devotion, are common characteristics expressed  in the female figures by this sculptor and reflect Portuguese art of this period.
Also a popular theme of the time was the figure of the Infant Christ, represented here naked and held in the upraght, frontal positionby the Virgin, whose tender expression emphasises these sentiments.