The Pietà is a work of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti, housed in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. However, there are many versions of the (arguably) most famous sculpture in history, just like the one in the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow. The first Pietà in the series (the one that is currently in Vatican City) was commissioned for the French Cardinal Jean de Bilhères, who was a representative in Rome. The Pièta depicts the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion. The theme is of Northern origin. Michelangelo's interpretation of the sculpture is unprecedented in Italian sculpture. It is an important work as it balances the Renaissance ideals of classical beauty with naturalism.
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