ThePietà (Italian pronunciation:[pjeˈta]; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject inChristian art depicting theBlessed Virgin Mary cradling the mortal body ofJesus Christ after hisDescent from the Cross. It is most often found insculpture. The Pietà is a specific form of theLamentation of Christ in which Jesus is mourned by the Virgin Mary alone. However, in practice works called aPietà may include angels, the other figures usual inLamentations, and evendonor portraits.[1]
An image consisting only of a dead Christ with angels is also called a Pietà, at least in German, whereEngelpietà (literally "Angel Pietà") is the term for what is usually calledDead Christ supported by angels in English.[2]
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Several namesake images have merited aPontifical decree of coronation, including the Pieta ofSaint Peter's Basilica in Rome, in theMarienthal Basilica in France, the Franciscan church inLeuven, Belgium, at theKamp-Bornhofen, Germany, andOur Lady of Charity inCartagena, Spain.
The Pietà is one of the three common artistic representations of a sorrowful Virgin Mary, the other two being theMater Dolorosa ("dolorous mother") and theStabat Mater ("standing mother").[3][4] The other two representations are most commonly found in paintings, rather than sculpture, although combined forms exist.[5]
The Pietà developed in Germany (where it is calledVesperbild) about 1300, reached Italy about 1400, and was especially popular in Central EuropeanAndachtsbilder.[6] Many German and Polish 15th-century examples in wood greatly emphasise Christ's wounds. Although the subject was known in Italy, the name may have been slower to be adopted, and theFlorentine diarist Luca Landucci, after describing a painting in an entry for June 1482, added "which is called by some a Pietà".[7]
TheDeposition of Christ and the Lamentation or Pietà form the 13th of theStations of the Cross, as well as one of theSeven Sorrows of the Virgin.
Although the Pietà most often shows the Virgin Mary holding Jesus, there are other compositions, including those whereGod the Father participates in holding Jesus Christ. In Spain the Virgin often holds up one or both hands, sometimes with Christ's body slumped to the floor.
Afamous example by the Italian sculptorMichelangelo in marble is inSaint Peter's Basilica in theVatican 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, and because the exterior is thought as the revelation of the interior; therefore, 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 byCristoforo Solari, a competitor, he carved his signature into Mary's sash as "MICHAELA[N]GELUS BONAROTUS FLORENTIN[US] FACIEBA[T]": "Michelangelo Buonarroti the Florentine made this".[8][9]
In a lesser known Michelangelo Pietà,The Deposition (c. 1547–1555), it is not the Virgin Mary who is holding Christ's body, but ratherNicodemus (or possiblyJoseph 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.[10] The sculpture is housed in theMuseo dell'Opera del Duomo inFlorence and is also known as theFlorentine Pietà.
A generation later, the Spanish painterLuis de Morales painted a number of highly emotional Pietàs, with examples in theLouvre andMuseo del Prado.
This related subject is calledEngelpietà (literally "Angel Pietà") in German, and included here for that reason. It is a variant of theMan of Sorrows (Imago Pietatis) type of andachtsbilder, but showing a Christ who is clearly dead (inMan of Sorrows images he tends to have his eyes open). Typically the half-length body of the dead Christ sits on a ledge, held up by smaller angels at each side. Christ is naked down to a loin-cloth and his wounds are visible. But there are many variants of this composition, especially after about 1500. It was common in both sculpture and painting from the 14th century until theCounter Reformation, but found through the Baroque period as well.[11]
The iconography of Piéta, with a figure holding a body in their arms, has been regularly used in comic book art, especially on covers.[12][13] One of the most famous examples is the cover forCrisis on Infinite Earths #7, which featuresSuperman holding the dead body ofSupergirl.[14][15]
Lana Del Rey's 2012 music video "Born to Die" features the scene of a man holding the corpse of the singer in a Piéta-like pose.
St. Vincent's song Pietà references her father holding her in aHoliday Inn pool for her baptism "like an inverse-Piéta". This song was released on the deluxe version of the albumSt. Vincent.
The ending toJohn Steinbeck’sThe Grapes of Wrath is often interpreted to symbolize a pietà, with Rose of Sharon cradling a dying old man.[citation needed]
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