"Pieta" (1497-99) established Michelangelo as a master sculptor beyond comparison with any of his contemporaries. The sculpture now stands in St Peter's, on a high pedestal and protected by bullet-proof glass, following a recent attack.
The pieta, a scene in which the Virgin Mary supports the dead body of Jesus in her lap, was a poplar subject-matter in other areas of Europe but had rarely been depicted in italy. The composition of the pieta had caused other artists much difficulty in creating a realistic position that allowed Mary to support the body of an adult man. Michelangelo solved this problem by making Mary's robes heavy and large, creating an area in which the body of Christ could lie across her lap.
"Pieta" show a reversal of the popular theme of Madonna with Child that michelangelo explored in his early work "Madonna of the Steps" (1491-92). In "Pieta", Mary holds the lifeless body of her only son, her left hand stretched palm upwards, as if she is qustioning the fate of Jesus. This gesture draws the viewer in to the scene emphatically, reiterating the Christian belief that Jesus died for humanity's salvation.
