Figura serpentinata

The so-called Figura serpentinata (Latin serpens "snake"; it. serpentino "snakelike") is a Mannerist compositional scheme in which the figures depicted are in extreme, helical turns. Turning away from classical frontality, intertwined groups of figures were created, spiralling upwards. Ideally, a work thus presents opposing views of the body, such as the face and back, in simultaneous perception in order to consciously stage the painterly or sculptural quality.