This is not a woman. It is, rather, 12-year-old Lourdes Ciccone, made up to the nines as she mimics her 51-year-old mother.

What on earth possessed Madonna to give the green light to this extraordinary venture, released yesterday to promote her forthcoming album, Celebration, we can only imagine.

One thing is for certain: the queen of self-publicity will have known the enormous attention the images would attract.

And there can be no doubt that Madonna is extremely proud of her daughter. Why else would she have brought the curtain down on her epic 12-month global tour on Tuesday night with her arm draped around the girl she knows affectionately as Lola?

In scenes that took just minutes to relay across the world, via mobile phones and the internet – as Madonna knew full well they would be – the world’s most famous woman pulled her eldest child into the spotlight before they stepped off stage together to rapturous applause.

Now, however, insiders say Lourdes is emerging from her chrysalis as she stands on the cusp of her 13th birthday. After a childhood spent living according to her famously self-disciplined mother’s rules, she is approaching her teenage years with supreme self-confidence.

The memorable performance in her mother’s latest single, Celebration, is just the beginning.