Pieta

Pietà, or Pieta, is a marble sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti created circa 1498–1499. It is housed in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. The sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the lifeless body of Jesus after the crucifixion, presenting a moment of intimate grief and quiet dignity.

Carved from a single block of Carrara marble, the work is nearly life-size. Mary is shown with a calm, idealized beauty that contrasts with Jesus’ exhausted, lifeless form. The composition emphasizes Mary’s downcast gaze and the weight of Jesus across her lap, while the drapery is rendered with meticulous folds that convey both form and movement. The sculpture bears Michelangelo’s signature on Mary’s sash, making it his only known signed work.

Created in the late 15th century, the Pietà is often linked to the tomb of Pope Julius II, though the exact commission remains a matter of scholarly discussion. It quickly established Michelangelo’s reputation and is regarded as a high point of High Renaissance sculpture for its balance, harmony, and restrained emotion.

The statue has endured vandalism: in 1972 a man attacked it with a hammer, damaging Mary’s arm and Jesus’ head. It was restored and reinstalled in 1979. Today the Pietà remains an enduring icon of Renaissance art and a focal point for study of Michelangelo’s technique and iconography, as well as a widely recognized depiction of mourning and compassion. The term Pietà is Italian for pity or compassion and refers broadly to similar representations of Mary with the dead Christ.