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Notes
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This way of showing Christ was based on a vision Pope Gregory (about 540–604) had as he celebrated Mass in the church of Santa Croce in Rome. Gregory was said to have ordered a picture of this vision to be made, and it became known as the ‘Imago Pietatis’ (‘image of pity’) or Man of Sorrows.
This painting would have been at the top of the altarpiece above the Virgin and Child, also in the National Gallery’s collection. For medieval Christians, the two images represented the beginning and end of the drama of human salvation.
Title
The Pietà
Date
probably 1456-61
Medium
Tempera on wood
Measurements
H 37.5 x W 26 cm
Accession number
NG630.6
Acquisition method
Bought, 1860
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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