Pietà

Michelangelo's Pietà is a marble group carved in 1498–1499 for the tomb of Cardinal Jean de Bilhères-Lagraulas and now housed in St Peter's Basilica. Mary supports the dead Christ across her lap, while the broad folds of her clothing give the composition a stable base. Made from a single block of Carrara marble, the sculpture combines closely observed anatomy with a quiet expression of grief and devotion. Mary's youthful face conveys religious meaning rather than literal age. Michelangelo signed the band crossing her chest, making this his only signed sculpture and a record of his early achievement in marble carving.