Facts about The Pietà

1. 07

   The marble block used for The Pietà came from the Fantiscritti quarry in Carrara and was initially rejected by other sculptors as containing a flaw before Michelangelo accepted the commission.

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2. 06

   Over 200 million visitors have viewed The Pietà since its installation at St. Peter's Basilica, making it one of the most visited artworks in human history.

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3. 05

   Christ's body in the sculpture displays an anatomically precise musculature that Michelangelo studied through human dissection, a controversial practice he pursued to perfect his artistic understanding of the human form.

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4. 04

   A single block of white Carrara marble weighing approximately 5,900 pounds was quarried and transported from Italy to Rome for Michelangelo to sculpt The Pietà.

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5. 03

   Standing 5 feet 8 inches tall, The Pietà remains the only work Michelangelo ever signed, carving his name across the Virgin Mary's sash across her chest.

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6. 02

   In 1972, a man attacked The Pietà with a hammer at St. Peter's Basilica, breaking the Virgin Mary's nose and left arm before security stopped him.

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7. 01

   Michelangelo completed The Pietà in 1499 when he was just 24 years old, carving the entire marble sculpture in approximately two years.

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