Michelangelo's Pieta

Pieta, Michelangelo (image: Web Gallery of Art)

Michelangelo's Pieta is in St. Peter's Basilica.  It was completed around 1499.  The marble sculpture depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the body of her son, Jesus Christ, after his crucifixion. 

According to Fordham Art History:

The theme of the Pietà, “pity” or “piety” in Latin, depicts a moment immediately after the crucifixion, similar to The Lamentation or The Deposition. However, the Pietà is unique in its focus on the Virgin Mary holding her dead son. This image originated in Germany and moved down to France during the Middle Ages, a time when devotion to the Madonna was particularly intense.

... Christ’s placement on Mary’s lap emulates the tender image of baby Jesus on his mother’s lap. Triggering a pure and natural moment between mother and son, with an image of suffering and sadness, fills the viewer with sorrow and compassion -- with pity. In turn, that pity becomes piety -- reverently accepting the sacrifice Christ made, and the sorrow of his mother as she holds her son’s corpse.