Pietà
1520s
Medium
oil on panel
Dimensions
overall: 175.8 × 98.5 cm, 116 kg (69 3/16 × 38 3/4 in., 255.734 lb.) framed: 206.06 × 129.06 × 7.62 cm (81 1/8 × 50 13/16 × 3 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CIS-R
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Accession Number
1952.2.10
Art Historical Context
Created in the 1520s by the Brescian painter Moretto da Brescia (Alessandro Bonvicino), this monumental *Pietà* captures one of the most poignant moments in Christian iconography: the Virgin Mary cradling the lifeless body of Christ. Standing nearly six feet tall, the oil-on-panel composition was designed as an altarpiece, its imposing scale inviting worshippers to contemplate Christ’s sacrifice with quiet reverence. Moretto worked during the transition from High Renaissance ideals to early Mannerism in northern Italy. Trained in the luminous color traditions of Venice and the solid forms of ...