The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

The Pieta'

The Pieta'

c. 1515–17
(Italian, 1470/82–1527/34)

after Raphael

(Italian, 1483–1520)
Catalogue raisonné: Bartsch XIV.40.35 ; Passavant VI.14.14 ; Delaborde 108.20
Location: not on view

Description

The pietà—a scene of the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Christ—was a traditional subject for sculpture in Northern Europe. Michelangelo’s sculpted Pietà of 1498 brought the composition to Italy and infused it with the idealism of classical sculpture. His contemporary, Raphael, designed this version of the scene two decades later, which was then engraved by Marcantonio Raimondi. It builds upon Michelangelo’s sculpted version but focuses on Mary’s statuesque pose and her intense expression of grief. The dead Christ—still idealized and classical in form—is laid before her rather than held in her lap.
  • Amodei, Tito. La Passione di Gesù nell'arte Italiana. Teramo: Palumbi, 2017. Reproduced: p. 36-37
  • Master/Apprentice: Imitation and Inspiration in the Renaissance. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 13, 2019-February 23, 2020).
    Eight Masters of the Print. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 14, 1980-January 18, 1981).
    Old Master Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 29, 1966-February 28, 1967).
    Art and Humanism in the Renaissance. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 23-February 25, 1962).
  • {{cite web|title=The Pieta'|url=false|author=Marcantonio Raimondi, Raphael|year=c. 1515–17|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1944.22