Michelangelo’s Pieta
Title of Art: Palestrina Pietà
Artist: Michelangelo Buonarroti
Art Form: Sculpture
Date of Composition: 1550-1560
Event: Crucifixion
Exhibit Institution: La Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze (Gallery of the Academy of Florence)
Exhibit Location: Florence, Italy
VM Image #: 0113
Photographer: Shala Graham
Date of Photograph: January 8, 2023
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This sculpture depicts Mary and St. John holding up the lifeless body of Christ. Scholars generally attribute the work to Michelangeo Buonarroti, though the work may have been done by one of his students.
In this specific pietà, John the Evangelist (Baptist) and Mary, Mother of God, hold up the deceased Christ. Christ, fully supported by them, is nearly nude and vulnerable in every way. As John gazes into his face, Mary looks directly at the viewer. With her back hunched and knees bent, she invites you not only into her grief, but to help carry Christ as well.
This unfinished pietà invites fruitful, theological reflection. Though Mary carries Christ, he ultimately carries her through his death and resurrection. The viewers of this pietà are on the other side of Christ’s death and resurrection, but the work of Christ’s followers remains unfinished until his second coming.
This unfinished pietà invites fruitful, theological reflection. Though Mary carries Christ, he ultimately carries her through his death and resurrection. The viewers of this pietà are on the other side of Christ’s death and resurrection, but the work of Christ’s followers remains unfinished until his second coming.
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