Pietà

American  

[pee-ey-tah, pyey-tah, pee-ey-tuh, pyey-] / ˌpi eɪˈtɑ, pyeɪˈtɑ, piˈeɪ tə, ˈpyeɪ- /

noun

(sometimes lowercase)

1. a representation of the Virgin Mary mourning over the body of the dead Christ, usually shown held on her lap.

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pietà British  

/ pɪɛˈtɑː /

noun

1. a sculpture, painting, or drawing of the dead Christ, supported by the Virgin Mary

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Pietà Cultural  

1. A painting, drawing, or sculpture of Mary, the mother of Jesus, holding the dead body of Jesus. The word means “pity” in Italian.

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The most famous of four Pietàs by Michelangelo is a sculpture at Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

Etymology

Origin of Pietà

1635–45; < Italian: literally, pity < Latin pietās piety; pity

Example Sentences

Although called a “Pietà,” it was not a depiction of Christ mourned by his intimates, but rather a “Man of Sorrows”—the dead Savior, half-length, with youthful angels—a timeless image designed for contemplation and meditation.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Rimini “Pietà” embodies everything we associate with the Renaissance: attention to the particulars of the world around us and appreciation for the art of the classical past.

From The Wall Street Journal

A first impression of the Rimini “Pietà” is of eloquent simplicity, but the more time we spend with the painting, the more complexities and nuances we notice.

From The Wall Street Journal

The most elucidating superimposes a Pietà by Anne-Louis Girodet, David’s little-known pupil, over David’s “Marat.”

From The Wall Street Journal

At MOCA, a statue titled “Confederate Women of Maryland,” erected in Baltimore by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, features two women — one of whom is cradling a fallen male soldier in her lap in a tableau resembling Michelangelo’s “Pietà.”

From Los Angeles Times