Michelangelo completes the Pietà

Timeline

1. 1498–1499Rome · LazioFrench cardinal Jean de Bilhères commissioned Michelangelo to create a marble Pietà for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The artist chose a single block of Carrara marble and, with extraordinary skill, carved the scene of the Virgin cradling the suffering Christ.
2. 1499St. Peter's Basilica · Vatican CityAfter completion the work was installed in St. Peter's Basilica and quickly caused a sensation. According to Vasari, Michelangelo once slipped in at night to sign the work, in response to viewers misidentifying the author. This work established his status as one of the greatest sculptors of the Renaissance.