Loading

Pietà

Ercole de' Roberti1482/1486

National Museums Liverpool

National Museums Liverpool
United Kingdom

This centre predella panel is part of a large altarpiece that is still in the church of San Giovanni in Monte, Bologna. Originally the panel was positioned above the altar directly in front of the priest's face as he celebrated mass.

Pietà (Italian for 'pity') was a type of Northern European devotional subject that is without scriptural basis. Pietàs were imported to Italy from about 1450. Christ's unidealised blood-drained body, Mary's angular black cloak, her anguished face and tender clasping of her dead son all combine to create an intense emotional effect. This is usually considered Ercole's masterpiece and is one of the finest works to come from the collection of William Roscoe.

Show lessRead more
  • Title: Pietà
  • Creator: Ercole de' Roberti
  • Creator Lifespan: active from 1479, died 1496
  • Date Created: 1482/1486
  • Physical Dimensions: 54.5cm x 51.0cm
  • Rights: Presented to the Walker Art Gallery by the Liverpool Royal Institution in 1948
  • Medium: Oil paint; Tempera; Panel
National Museums Liverpool

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites