"sits vertically with the dead Christ on her lap, his body appearing extremely small. The positioning of the two bodies creates the Pieta, which means pity in Italian and is a representation of The Virgin Mary mourning dead Christ. The Three Maries are circling the inner group expressing despair. Mary Magdalen is positioned at the feet of Christ in turmoil. St.John sits above The Virgin Mary and cradles her head in an attempt to soothe her. Joseph of Arimathea stands above the group holding the crown of thorns and three nails. Botticelli paints the figures in contorted and distorted poses."
"Death of the Virgin The Death of the Virgin Mary is a common subject in Western Christian art, the equivalent of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Eastern Orthodox art. This depiction became less common as the doctrine of the Assumption gained support in the Roman Catholic Church from the Late Middle Ages onward. Although that doctrine avoids stating whether Mary was alive or dead when she was bodily taken up to Heaven, she is normally shown in art as alive. Nothing is said in the Bible about the end of Mary's life, but a tradition dating back to at"
"Stabat Mater (art) Stabat Mater (Latin for ""the mother was standing"") is a feature in the Crucifixion of Jesus in art in which the Virgin Mary is depicted under the cross during the Crucifixion of Christ. In these depictions, the Virgin Mary is almost always standing to the right hand side of the body of her son Jesus on the Cross, with Saint John the Apostle standing to the left. It contrasts with the swoon of the Virgin, where she is seen fainting. This is only seen from the late medieval period onwards. Stabat Mater is one of the three"
"the Virgin. Death of the Virgin The Death of the Virgin Mary is a common subject in Western Christian art, the equivalent of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Eastern Orthodox art. This depiction became less common as the doctrine of the Assumption gained support in the Roman Catholic Church from the Late Middle Ages onward. Although that doctrine avoids stating whether Mary was alive or dead when she was bodily taken up to Heaven, she is normally shown in art as alive. Nothing is said in the Bible about the end of Mary's life, but a tradition dating back"
"Pietà A pietà (; meaning ""pity"", ""compassion"") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ. When Christ and the Virgin are surrounded by other figures from the New Testament, the subject is strictly called a ""lamentation"" in English, although ""pietà"" is often used for this as well, and is the normal term in Italian. Pietà is one of the three"
"century, includes a letter M, representing the Virgin Mary under the Cross. The Marian Cross is also used in the coat of arms of Pope John Paul II, about which the Vatican newspaper, ""L’Osservatore Romano"", stated in 1978: ""the large and majestic capital M recalls the presence of the Madonna under the Cross and Her exceptional participation in Redemption."" Stabat Mater (art) Stabat Mater (Latin for ""the mother was standing"") is a feature in the Crucifixion of Jesus in art in which the Virgin Mary is depicted under the cross during the Crucifixion of Christ. In these depictions, the Virgin"
"Virgin of Mercy The Virgin of Mercy is a subject in Christian Art, showing a group of people sheltering for protection under the outspread cloak, or pallium of the Virgin Mary. It was especially popular in Italy from the 13th to 16th centuries, often as a specialised form of votive portrait, and is also found in other countries and later art, especially Catalonia and Latin America. Usually the Virgin is standing alone, though if angels hold up the cloak, she is free to hold the infant Christ. The people sheltered normally kneel, and are of necessity shown usually at a"
"and the ""Entombment of Christ"". The ""Lamentation of Christ"", or ""Pietà"", showing the body of Christ held by Mary, may intervene between these two, and is common as an individual image, especially in sculpture. The ""Bearing of the body"", showing Christ's body being carried to his tomb, and the ""Anointing of Christ's body"", showing the body laid flat on the top of the tomb or a similarly-shaped ""anointing-stone"" are other scenes that may be shown. This last is especially important in Orthodox art, where it is shown on the Epitaphios. With the Renaissance the subject became popular for altarpieces, partly"
"Marian art, and well known Catholic symbolism such as the Miraculous Medal and Pope John Paul II's Coat of Arms bearing a Marian Cross. And a number of Marian devotions also involve the presence of the Virgin Mary in Calvary, e.g., Pope John Paul II stated that ""Mary was united to Jesus on the Cross"". Well known works of Christian art by masters such as Raphael (e.g., the Mond Crucifixion), and Caravaggio (e.g., his Entombment) depict the Virgin Mary as part of the crucifixion scene. Crucifixion of Jesus The crucifixion of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely between AD"
"Madonna of the Carnation The Madonna of the Carnation, a.k.a. Madonna with Vase or Madonna with Child, is a Renaissance oil painting by Leonardo da Vinci created around 1478-1480. It is permanently displayed at the Alte Pinakothek gallery in Munich, Germany. The central and centered motif is the young Virgin Mary seated with Baby Jesus on her lap. Depicted in precious clothes and jewellery, with her left hand Mary holds a carnation (interpreted as a healing symbol). The faces are put into light while all other objects are darker, e.g. the carnation is covered by a shadow. The child is"
"archaic rendering of the blood from Christ's wounds. Christ's blood looks like it has been painted on the picture plane, and could thus serve as a strong symbol of the Eucharist. In this context Mary acts as intercessor for the faithful. This motif of blood was frequently employed in painting before 1400, and shortly after, such as in a Jan van Eyck ""Crucifixion"" (1430) in Berlin, but was rarely used in Ter Brugghen's time due to the iconoclasm of the Calvinists and the post-Tridentine Catholic theologians. If Mary represents the Church, John represents the priesthood. They are set apart from"
"Lamentation (Gerard David) The Lamentation of Christ is a painting of the common subject of the Lamentation of Christ by the painter and manuscript illuminator Gerard David, originally a wing of a now dismantled and lost altarpiece. It portrays the body of Christ wrapped in his shroud and being anointed. Mary Magdalene is at his feet, as the Virgin Mary holds him in her arms, weeping for his death watched over by Saint John. Four other grieving figures are present; they may be Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin, and women who followed Christ. While its exact dating is"
"at times been compared to concurrent trends in sculpture, especially by Claus Sluter. Christ's body is raised, perhaps awkwardly, on a shroud above the top slab of the sarcophagus. In this way the tomb is positioned, as described by art historian Shirley Blum, ""the altar supporting Body and Blood of the dead Christ"". According to Barbara Lane becomes ""both the celebrant and the sacrifice of the constantly repeated Mass"". The mourners gather around the tomb in a semi-circle, looking sorrowfully towards Jesus as he is wrapped in his burial shroud. They include Mary, Joseph of Arimathea (With a brown beard,"
"was adapted by French carvers, although with softer and less brutally realistic tones. The work shows an enthroned and sorrowful Virgin holding the lifeless body of the dead Christ. The image is realistic and grim; his ribs protrude, his stomach is sunken and he shows visible signs of rigor mortis; and he bears the bloody wounds of the Passion, with the stigmata on his hands, feet, and side. Mary's upper body is somewhat rigid, stiff and awkward, compared to the fluidity of Christ, and the lower layers of her dress. According to art historian William Forsyth, the ""large soft folds"
"common artistic representations of a sorrowful Virgin Mary, the other two being ""Mater Dolorosa"" (Mother of Sorrows) and ""Pietà"". In the Stabat Mater depictions the Virgin Mary is represented as an actor and spectator in the scene, a mystical emblem of faith in the Crucified Savior, an ideal figure at once the mother of Christ and the personified Church. The depictions generally reflect the first three lines of the Stabat Mater poem: The concept is also present in other designs, e.g. the Miraculous Medal and the more general Marian Cross. The Miraculous Medal, by Saint Catherine Labouré in the 19th"
"Pietà (Bellini, Bergamo) The Pietà or Christ's Body Supported by the Virgin Mary and St John the Evangelist is a tempera on panel painting by Giovanni Bellini, now in the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo. Dated to around 1455, it is one of his earliest independent works and the prototype for his series of pietas. It draws on Byzantine icons of the 'imago pietatis', of which there were many examples throughout Venice, and of 'Ritratti di Passione' or 'portraits of the Passion', in which the dead Christ invites the viewer to contemplate his wounds. The crossed arms are drawn from a"
"Deposition of Christ (Fra Angelico) The Deposition from the Cross is a painting of the Deposition of Christ by the Italian Renaissance master Fra Angelico, executed between 1432 and 1434. It is now housed in the National Museum of San Marco, Florence. Giorgio Vasari defined it to have been “painted by a saint or an angel”. Angelico intervened to complete this altarpiece when it had been already begun by Lorenzo Monaco for the Strozzi Chapel in the Florentine church of Santa Trinita. It portrays Christ supported by several people, with Mary Magdalene keeping his feet, as a symbol of human"
"crosses often appear in the background of the painting, a short distance from the scene. Lamentations did not appear in art north of the Alps until the 14th century, but then became very popular there, and Northern versions further developed the centrality of Mary to the composition. The typical position of Christ's body changes from being flat on the ground or slab, usually seen in profile across the centre of the work, to the upper torso being raised by Mary or others, and finally being held in a near-vertical position, seen frontally, or across Mary's lap. Mary Magdalene typically holds"
"Pietà (Southern German, Cloisters) Pietà (German: Vesperbild) a small painted wood sculpture dated to c. 1375–1400, now in the collection of the Cloisters, New York. Very little is known of it, except that is probably of southern German origin. The statuette emphasises the suffering of both the Virgin and Jesus Christ. Mary is shown in grief and mourning, holding the body of her son on her lap, as she leans over him and faces towards his crown of thorns. Christ body is emaciated, shrunken, decomposing and lacerated with the wounds of his crucifixion. Because of its small size and intimacy,"
"the collection of the National Gallery in Prague. It was there that Jiří Tesář restored it in 1965. The relief was carved out of lime wood; it measures 126 x 121 x 15 cm and features traces of original polychromy. Portraying nine figures, the scene is arranged in two spatial planes. In the foreground, Mary holds the body of the dead Christ in her arms. She is accompanied on her left by St. John, who is taking the crown of thorns from Christ’s head, and Mary Magdalene who brings a vessel containing balsam. In the background there probably stands one"
"Lamentation over the Dead Christ (Botticelli, Munich) The Lamentation over the Dead Christ, is a painting of the common subject of the Lamentation of Christ by the Italian Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli, finished around 1490-1492. It is now in the Alte Pinakothek, in Munich. The portrait shows the inert body of Christ surrounded by the Virgin, St. Peter, and Mary Magdalene, St. John the Evangelist, St. Jerome and St. Paul. The pathetic expressions of the characters were a novelty in Botticelli's art: under the spiritual influence of Savonarola's preachings in Florence, which began around the time the work was executed,"
"picture originally stood on the altar independently, since on its reverse it was decorated with silver foil. This work dates from the high period of the Marian cult around 1400. It represents one of the two main types – the Madonna holding the child on her right side and both figures directing their gaze towards the viewer. Jesus’s mortal human origin is emphasised by his nudity and several details (such as his mother pressing her fingers into his skin). These details also have Eucharistic significance, referring to Corpus Christi. This concept of the Marian image was widespread in the period"
"17th century, the conventional belief among Catholics was that she was assumed alive, as shown in the great majority of contemporary paintings of the subject. By then most believed that she felt no pain or disease, and that she was ""assumed"" in healthy if aged body and soul prior to ""death."" However, during a General Audience on 25 June 1997, Pope John Paul II affirmed that Mary did indeed experience natural death prior to her assumption into Heaven. Caravaggio's painting is the last major Catholic work of art in which Mary is clearly dead. Caravaggio does not depict an ""assumption"""
"Christ increased in complexity towards the end of the first millennium, a number of scenes were developed covering the period between the death of Jesus on the Cross and his being placed in his tomb. The accounts in the Canonical Gospels concentrate on the roles of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, but specifically mention Mary and Mary Magdalene as present. Scenes showing Joseph negotiating with Pontius Pilate for permission to take Christ's body are rare in art. The Deposition of Christ, where the body is being taken down from the cross, shown almost always in a vertical or diagonal position"
"an emotional appeal that links it to the Strasbourg ""Death of the Virgin"". In this sculpture, Mary is shown standing, holding her son, Jesus Christ, against her body. Unlike previous renditions of this couple, both are naturalistic, with recognizable facial features. As usual in most religious sculptural depictions of the Holy mother and child of this time, Jesus does not look like a baby, but rather a miniature adult. However, the artist tried to combat this by giving the child the mannerisms of an infant as he plays with his mother’s veil and holds a ball. Mary stands in royal"
"Mond Crucifixion The Mond Crucifixion (or Crocifissione Gavari; both names are after former owners) is a painting by the Italian renaissance artist Raphael. An early work influenced by Perugino, it was originally an altarpiece in the church of San Domenico, Città di Castello, near Raphael's hometown of Urbino. The painting shows Jesus on the cross, who is looking peaceful even though he is dying. There are two angels catching his blood in chalices. On Jesus' left kneels Mary Magdalene, with John the Evangelist standing behind her. On his right Mary stands, and St. Jerome, to whom the altar was dedicated,"
"Additional imagery may include clouds, a golden light, and cherubs. In some paintings the cherubim are holding lilies and roses, flowers often associated with Mary. The Catholic doctrine of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven states that Mary was transported into Heaven with her body and soul united. Although the Assumption was only officially declared a dogma by Pope Pius XII in his Apostolic Constitution ""Munificentissimus Deus"" in 1950, its roots in Catholic culture and art go back many centuries. While Pope Pius XII deliberately left open the question of whether Mary died before her Assumption, the more common teaching"
"the swooning Virgin, Pope Julius II was lobbied with a request to designate a holy day as a feast of the ""spasimo"". The request was turned down. Art historian Lorne Campbell has identified the figures in the painting as (from left to right): Mary Cleophas (half-sister to the Virgin Mary); John the Evangelist, Mary Salome (in green, another half-sister of the Virgin Mary), The Virgin Mary (swooning), the corpse of Jesus Christ, Nicodemus (in red), a young man on the ladder – either a servant of Nicodemus or of Joseph of Arimathea, Joseph of Arimathea (in field-of-cloth-of-gold robes, the most"
"Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Rubens) The Assumption of the Virgin Mary or Assumption of the Holy Virgin, is a painting by Peter Paul Rubens, completed in 1626 as an altarpiece for the high altar of the Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp, where it remains. In Rubens' depiction of the Assumption of Mary, a choir of angels lifts her in a spiraling motion toward a burst of divine light. Around her tomb are gathered the 12 apostles — some with their arms raised in awe; others reaching to touch her discarded shroud. The women in the painting are thought to"
"The painting shows the dead Jesus, held by Nicodemus and surrounded by the Pious Women, including an aged and distraught Mary. In the right part are three standing characters depicted on a diagonal line: from top, St. John the Evangelist, Mary Magdalene, and Joseph of Arimathea, the last two holding vases which contained balms used to prepare the corpse for the burial. <br> Lamentation of Christ (Dürer, Munich) Lamentation of Christ (also known as Glimm Lamentation) is an oil-on-panel painting of the common subject of the Lamentation of Christ by the German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer, executed around 1500 and"
"Lamentation of Christ The Lamentation of Christ is a very common subject in Christian art from the High Middle Ages to the Baroque. After Jesus was crucified, his body was removed from the cross and his friends mourned over his body. This event has been depicted by many different artists. Lamentation works are very often included in cycles of the ""Life of Christ"", and also form the subject of many individual works. One specific type of Lamentation depicts only Jesus' mother Mary cradling his body. These are known as Pietà (Italian for ""pity""). As the depiction of the Passion of"
"crucifixion yet evokes pointedly the Christian message of Jesus' horrible suffering; originally intended for a hospital, the altar painting may have been designed to provide comfort and solace to the sick."" Mary, the mother of Jesus, is shown at Christ's right, collapsing in anguish in the arms of John, the beloved disciple of Christ, and shrouded in a large piece of white cloth. At Christ's left, John the Baptist is accompanied by a lamb, symbolising the sacrifice of Jesus. The presence of John the Baptist is anachronistic. Beheaded by order of Herod in 29 AD, he could not possibly have"
"Pietà (Gregorio Fernández) The Pietà or Sexta Angustia (1616 - 1619) is a work of Baroque sculpture by Gregorio Fernández, housed in the National Museum of Sculpture in Valladolid, Spain. The statue was commissioned by the Illustrious Penitential Brotherhood of Our Lady of Anguish. It is one of the best known of the five sculptures of the same theme by the artist. The sculpture shows the Virgin Mary holding up one hand with Christ's body slumped lifeless to the floor, by her feet. It was part of a ""paso"" which paraded in religious processions during Holly Week, together with the"