Some of you may know, from time to time we are called upon to salvage religious properties. In mid 2015, we were invited to find a new home for some of the artifacts from the Church of the Redeemer in Brooklyn, New York. As bitter sweet as it may have been, we have "rescued" many beautiful and interesting items, one of them being a 19th century Pietà.
But What is Pietà?
Simply put, the Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ (Wikipedia).
A more in-depth analysis of the Pieta and other works of art by Michelangelo can be found on Khan Academy's website.
In addition, here are few interesting facts about Michelangelo's Pietà:
1. A French cardinal commissioned it for his own funeral.
2. After more than 200 years, the Pietà was moved to St. Peter's Basilica.
3. Michelangelo carved it from a single slab of marble.
4. Pietà is the only work Michelangelo ever signed.
5. The piece made Michelangelo famous when he was only 24.
6. The sculpture has been criticized for Michelangelo's depiction of Mary.
7. It’s a mash-up of sculpting styles.
8. Mary's robes hide a creative compromise.
9. The Pietà was brutally attacked.
10. Its destruction was not deemed a criminal offense.
11. Its restoration was a matter of debate.
12. The restoration took 10 months.
13. This was not the first time it was behind bulletproof glass.
14. The Pietà's attack had an unexpected silver lining.
15. Michelangelo’s Model for The Pietà may have been discovered.
And if after all a sculpture of Pietà from a Brooklyn church is not what you looking for right now, we have a great selection of religious and other items in our inventory.
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