Cleveland Museum of Art
Pietà
- Date
- late 1500s
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Culture
- possibly Italy, Florence, late 16th century, or later
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Object ID
- 94846
From the Cleveland Museum of Art record
Originating in Germany in the 1300s, the intense moment of lamentation, often referred to as a pietà, has no origin in the Bible. Though it was more widespread in northern Europe, the poignant scene of Mary holding the body of her deceased son expanded into Italy as well. In this painting, Nicodemus supports Christ's upper body, Mary clasps her son's elbow as he lies across her lap, Mary Magdalene kneels at Christ's feet, and John the Apostle covers his face in grief behind her. The crown of thorns upon Christ's head and the blood still visible from his wounds recall the events of the Passion and highlight the sorrow of the Virgin.
The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Get printable QR codesHide QR codes
Open QR codes for this object page and the museum record. They stay collapsed until needed.
Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Gift of Philip R. McCurdy and Lucia McCurdy McBride
- Provenance
- Lucia McCurdy McBride (1880-1970), by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1915.
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Cleveland Museum of Art and other institutions.