Information on the Pietà Statue and Michelangelo

A Pietà (Italian pronunciation: [pjeˈta]; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture.

The Pietà is a scene from the Passion of Christ.

The picture above is the actual Pietà.  A work of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti housed in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City.

Michelangelo is widely regarded as the most famous artist of the Italian Renaissance.  Michelangelo was just 25 years old at the time when he created the Pietà statue.

The Dimensions of the Pietà are 174 cm × 195 cm (68.5 in × 76.8 in) and the sculpture is in Carrara marble.  This sculpture was created in less than two years, 1498 – 1499.  It was unveiled in St. Peter's Basilica for the Jubilee of 1500.

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was on born 6 March 1475, Caprese, Republic of Florence, Italy.  Michelangelo died on 18 February 1564,
in Rome, Papal States.