Pietà with Donors
Unknown Artist
ca. 1515
Medium
Limestone, traces of polychromy
Dimensions
Overall: 43 3/8 x 92 1/2 x 22 in. (110.2 x 235 x 55.9 cm)
Classification
Sculpture-Stone
Culture
French
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1916
Accession Number
16.31.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Medieval Art galleries, the *Pietà with Donors* (ca. 1515) is a striking French limestone sculpture, standing over seven feet wide and reaching 43 inches tall. Carved by an unknown artist, it depicts the Mary cradling the lifeless of Christ in the timeless Pietà motif, flanked by donor figures—likely pious laymen—who kneel in devotion. Traces of original polychromy hint at its once-vibrant colors, bringing the solemn scene to life with subtle remnants of paint on the figures' garments and skin. Created around 1515, during France's transition from late Gothic to early Renaissanc...