The Pietà (Italian pronunciation: [pjeˈta]; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary cradling the mortal body of Jesus Christ after his Descent from the Cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific form of the Lamentation of Christ in which Jesus is mourned by sole privilege of the Virgin Mary alone, whilst representing her "sixth sorrow" and sometimes accompanied by a specific Marian title.[1]
Pietà is one of the three common artistic representations of a sorrowful Virgin Mary, the other two being Mater Dolorosa (The Dolorous Mother) and Stabat Mater (The Standing Mother).[2][3] The other two representations are most commonly found in paintings, rather than sculpture, although combined forms exist.[4]
The Pietà developed in Germany (where it is called the "Vesperbild") about 1300, reached Italy about 1400, and was especially popular in Central European Andachtsbilder.[5] Many German and Polish 15th-century examples in wood greatly emphasise Christ's wounds. The Deposition of Christ and the Lamentation or Pietà form the 13th of the Stations of the Cross, as well as one of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin.
Although the Pietà most often shows the Virgin Mary holding Jesus, there are other compositions, including those where God the Father participates in holding Jesus (see gallery below). In Spain the Virgin often holds up one or both hands, sometimes with Christ's body slumped to the floor.
A famous example by Italian sculptor Michelangelo Buonarroti was carved from a block of marble and is located in Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City. The body of Christ is different from most earlier Pietà statues, which were usually smaller and in wood. The Virgin is also unusually youthful, and in repose, rather than the older, sorrowing Mary of most Pietàs. She is shown as youthful for two reasons; God is the source of all beauty and she is one of the closest to God, also the exterior is thought as the revelation of the interior (the virgin is morally beautiful). Michelangelo's Pieta sculpture is also unique in the fact that it is the only one of his works that he ever signed. Upon hearing that visitors thought it had been sculpted by Cristoforo Solari, a competitor.[6] His signature is carved as MICHAELA[N]GELUS BONAROTUS FLORENTIN[US] FACIEBA[T] "Michelangelo Buonarroti the Florentine did it".[7]
In a lesser known Michelangelo Pietà, The Deposition (circa 1547–1555), it is not the Virgin Mary who is holding Jesus' body, but rather Nicodemus (or possibly Joseph of Arimathea), Mary Magdalene, and the Virgin Mary. There is some indication that the man in the hood is based on a self-portrait of the artist.[8] The sculpture is housed in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Florence and is also known as the Florentine Pietà.
^G Schiller, Iconography of Christian Art, Vol. II,1972 (English trans from German), Lund Humphries, London, pp. 179–181, figs 622–39, ISBN0-85331-324-5
^William E. Wallace, 1995 Life and Early Works (Michelangelo: Selected Scholarship in English)ISBN0-8153-1823-5 page 233
^"The Deposition by Michelangelo". www.michelangelo.net.
^"Luis de Morales – Artworks". www.the-athenaeum.org.
Further reading
Forsyth, William F. (1995). The Pietà in French late Gothic sculpture: regional variations. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN0-87099-681-9.
External links
Look up pietà in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pietà.
Data collection of the image type Pietà in sculpture
3D model of a detail of Mary from a cast made by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Vatican Museums, via photogrammetric survey
Poem by Moez Surani proposing nine new sculptural Pietas
April 09, 2023
pietà, other, uses, disambiguation, italian, pronunciation, pjeˈta, meaning, pity, compassion, subject, christian, depicting, blessed, virgin, mary, cradling, mortal, body, jesus, christ, after, descent, from, cross, most, often, found, sculpture, specific, fo. For other uses see Pieta disambiguation The Pieta Italian pronunciation pjeˈta meaning pity compassion is a subject in Christian art depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary cradling the mortal body of Jesus Christ after his Descent from the Cross It is most often found in sculpture The Pieta is a specific form of the Lamentation of Christ in which Jesus is mourned by sole privilege of the Virgin Mary alone whilst representing her sixth sorrow and sometimes accompanied by a specific Marian title 1 Michelangelo Buonarroti s La Madonna della Pieta in Saint Peter s Basilica 1498 1499 Pontifically crowned by Pope Urban VIII in 1637 Pieta of Kampbornhofen Germany Crowned by Pope Pius XI in 10 May 1925 Accordingly several of such images have merited a Pontifical decree of Canonical coronation from a Pope such as but not limited to the Pieta of Saint Peter s Basilica in Rome Marienthal Basilica in France the image in Church of Franciscans in Leuven Belgium Kamp Bornhofen Germany and Our Lady of Charity in Cartagena Spain et cetera Contents 1 Context and development 1 1 Michelangelo Buonarroti 2 Gallery 2 1 Statues statuettes and paintings 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksContext and development Edit The Pieta as Our Lady of Charity 1723 crowned in 17 April 1923 by Pope Pius XI From Cartagena Spain Pieta is one of the three common artistic representations of a sorrowful Virgin Mary the other two being Mater Dolorosa The Dolorous Mother and Stabat Mater The Standing Mother 2 3 The other two representations are most commonly found in paintings rather than sculpture although combined forms exist 4 The Pieta developed in Germany where it is called the Vesperbild about 1300 reached Italy about 1400 and was especially popular in Central European Andachtsbilder 5 Many German and Polish 15th century examples in wood greatly emphasise Christ s wounds The Deposition of Christ and the Lamentation or Pieta form the 13th of the Stations of the Cross as well as one of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Although the Pieta most often shows the Virgin Mary holding Jesus there are other compositions including those where God the Father participates in holding Jesus see gallery below In Spain the Virgin often holds up one or both hands sometimes with Christ s body slumped to the floor Michelangelo Buonarroti Edit Main article Pieta Michelangelo The Deposition 1547 1555 Michelangelo Museo dell Opera del Duomo Florence A famous example by Italian sculptor Michelangelo Buonarroti was carved from a block of marble and is located in Saint Peter s Basilica in the Vatican City The body of Christ is different from most earlier Pieta statues which were usually smaller and in wood The Virgin is also unusually youthful and in repose rather than the older sorrowing Mary of most Pietas She is shown as youthful for two reasons God is the source of all beauty and she is one of the closest to God also the exterior is thought as the revelation of the interior the virgin is morally beautiful Michelangelo s Pieta sculpture is also unique in the fact that it is the only one of his works that he ever signed Upon hearing that visitors thought it had been sculpted by Cristoforo Solari a competitor 6 His signature is carved as MICHAELA N GELUS BONAROTUS FLORENTIN US FACIEBA T Michelangelo Buonarroti the Florentine did it 7 In a lesser known Michelangelo Pieta The Deposition circa 1547 1555 it is not the Virgin Mary who is holding Jesus body but rather Nicodemus or possibly Joseph of Arimathea Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary There is some indication that the man in the hood is based on a self portrait of the artist 8 The sculpture is housed in the Museo dell Opera del Duomo in Florence and is also known as the Florentine Pieta A generation later the Spanish painter Luis de Morales painted a number of highly emotional Pietas 9 with examples in the Louvre and Museo del Prado Gallery EditStatues statuettes and paintings Edit Pieta in frescoes found in the Church of St Panteleimon Gorno Nerezi 1164 The Avignon Pieta Enguerrand Charonton 15th century 15th century German wood Pieta from Cologne Pieta Tondo by Jean Malouel between 1400 and 1410 Louvre Jean Malouel Pieta Tondo detail Austrian Pieta c 1420 Rogier van der Weyden Museo del Prado Madrid with Saint John and a donor c 1440 1450 Krakow c 1450 German or Netherlandish 15th Century Pieta c 1450 1500 National Gallery of Art Pietro Perugino Uffizi 1490 Swabian painted wood Pieta of c 1500 Giovanni Bellini c 1505 Dieffler Pieta Wooden sculpture presumably 15th or 18th century former chapel of St Wendelin in Diefflen Saarland Museum Old Collection Deposition of Christ Bronzino 1540 1545 Musee de Besancon El Greco Pieta 1571 1576 Philadelphia Museum of Art Pieta c 1600 Annibale Carracci National Museum of Capodimonte Pieta by Gregorio Fernandez 1616 1619 National Sculpture Museum 18th century Bavarian example with Rococo setting The Palestrina Pieta originally attributed to Michelangelo but probably by another sculptor Pieta 1876 William Adolphe Bouguereau A Pieta in marble by Anton Josef Reiss 1897 Vierge de Pitie Deploration at Collegiale Saint Salvi d Albi Albi around 1900 Bogdan Cierpisz Pieta c 1980 Every year on Good Friday Port Kollam Church s renowned Pieta is on exhibit West Bank Wall graffiti art An interpretation of Pieta showing Handala and LibertySee also EditList of statues of Jesus Pieta Michelangelo Replicas of Michelangelo s PietaReferences Edit Pieta National Galleries of Scotland Arthur de Bles 2004 How to Distinguish the Saints in Art by Their Costumes Symbols and Attributes ISBN 1 4179 0870 X page 35 Anna Jameson 2006 Legends of the Madonna as represented in the fine arts ISBN 1 4286 3499 1 page 37 E g see Noel Quillerier s at Oratorio della Nunziatella G Schiller Iconography of Christian Art Vol II 1972 English trans from German Lund Humphries London pp 179 181 figs 622 39 ISBN 0 85331 324 5 William E Wallace 1995 Life and Early Works Michelangelo Selected Scholarship in English ISBN 0 8153 1823 5 page 233 Pieta by Michelangelo www michelangelo net The Deposition by Michelangelo www michelangelo net Luis de Morales Artworks www the athenaeum org Further reading EditForsyth William F 1995 The Pieta in French late Gothic sculpture regional variations New York The Metropolitan Museum of Art ISBN 0 87099 681 9 External links Edit Look up pieta in Wiktionary the free dictionary Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pieta Data collection of the image type Pieta in sculpture 3D model of a detail of Mary from a cast made by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Vatican Museums via photogrammetric survey Poem by Moez Surani proposing nine new sculptural Pietas Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pieta amp oldid 1140744165, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
