{"product_id":"michelangelo-pieta-statue","title":"Michelangelo Pieta Statue - Parastone Museum Collection, 8.75 in H","description":"\u003ch2\u003eThe Only Work Michelangelo Ever Signed, Now in St. Peter's Basilica\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis \u003cstrong\u003eMichelangelo Pieta statue\u003c\/strong\u003e is a reproduction of one of the defining works of the Italian Renaissance. Michelangelo completed the original in 1499, at the age of 24. It is permanently installed in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. This reproduction measures 8.75 in H x 8.75 in W, cast in white resin with random grey marks to simulate marble grain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003eMichelangelo Pieta statue\u003c\/strong\u003e was commissioned by Cardinal Jean de Billheres, the French envoy to Rome. The subject - Mary holding the body of Christ after the Crucifixion - was more common in Northern European art than in Italian sculpture at the time. Mary is depicted as notably young. Michelangelo explained this through her spiritual purity, which had protected her from life's ordinary ravages.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial:\u003c\/strong\u003e Resin and stone, white with random grey marking to simulate marble grain\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 8.75 in H x 8.75 in W x 5.5 in D\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 8.8 lbs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCollection:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.museumize.com\/collections\/parastone-museum-replicas\"\u003eParastone Museum Collection\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProduct Number:\u003c\/strong\u003e MIC02, Renaissance sculpture replica\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIncludes:\u003c\/strong\u003e Description card; Michelangelo's signature reproduced on Mary's ribbon\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCurator's Note:\u003c\/strong\u003e This reproduction of the \u003cb\u003ePieta\u003c\/b\u003e features remarkable details, including a clear representation of Michelangelo's signature\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e across Mary's ribbon over her chest. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Signature Across Mary's Ribbon\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003eMichelangelo Pieta statue\u003c\/strong\u003e is the only work he ever signed. His biographer, Giorgio Vasari, recorded that rumors attributed the sculpture to Cristoforo Solari. Stung by the misattribution, Michelangelo carved his name in Latin across the ribbon on Mary's chest. Vasari also wrote that Michelangelo was later ashamed of what he considered an act of unseemly pride. He never signed another work. This reproduction includes the signature detail across Mary's ribbon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Subject Matter and Michelangelo's Interpretation\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLamentation scenes were rare in Italian Renaissance sculpture before this commission. Michelangelo depicted Mary as composed rather than openly grief-stricken, a departure from other treatments of the subject. The original measures 68.5 in H x 76.8 in W - a large-scale work designed to occupy the full attention of a viewer approaching it in the basilica. The figure of Christ is draped across Mary's lap with precise anatomical detail throughout.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout Michelangelo (1475-1564)\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMichelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet. He completed both the Pieta and the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.museumize.com\/products\/michelangelo-david-statue\"\u003eDavid\u003c\/a\u003e before the age of 30. Pope Julius II later commissioned him to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling, which he finished in 1512. He was the first artist to have a biography written during his own lifetime. See more works from this period in the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.museumize.com\/collections\/artist-michelangelo-davinci-donatello-renaissance\"\u003eMichelangelo, da Vinci and Renaissance Masters collection\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eDisplaying Your Michelangelo Pieta Statue\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis \u003cstrong\u003eMichelangelo Pieta replica\u003c\/strong\u003e suits a mantle, console table, or bookshelf. At 8.8 lbs, it has the weight of a substantial decorative object. Wipe clean with a dry or slightly damp cloth. Avoid prolonged direct sunlight to preserve the resin finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFor More Reading\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/767122\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eMichelangelo and the Medieval Pieta: The Sculpture of Devotion or the Art of Sculpture? | JSTOR\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/met-publications\/the-pieta-in-french-late-gothic-sculpture-regional-variations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eThe Pieta in French Late Gothic Sculpture: Regional Variations | The Metropolitan Museum of Art\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.basilicasanpietro.va\/en\/news\/the-cast-of-michelangelo-s-pieta-on-display-in-alba\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eThe Cast of Michelangelo's Pieta on Display in Alba | Basilica di San Pietro\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Parastone","offers":[{"title":"Default","offer_id":1192667283,"sku":"MIC02","price":149.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/0537\/products\/99afc81ffcdfd573d3050eeccc23658d.jpg?v=1777662259","url":"https:\/\/www.museumize.com\/products\/michelangelo-pieta-statue","provider":"Museumize.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}