Vatican Museum Replica Pietà Bonded Marble Statue. The Pietà is a work of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti, housed in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. (1499). Only 23 when he sculpted this breathtaking work of art, Michelangelo (1475-1564) required two years, a rough block of marble hauled out of the quarries at Carrara, Italy, and a huge talent to carve his “Pieta.” The Pietà means Pity or Compassion, and represents Mary sorrowfully contemplating the dead body of her son which she holds on her lap. This Italian-inspired figurine is painstakingly rendered, from the folds of their garments to the peaceful face of the Madonna.
