The “Pieta Michelangelo Buonarroti” is a sixth coin from PREMIUM EDITION of beautiful series Masterpieces of Art.
A numismatic masterpiece, made of 3 oz / 93,3 grams of pure silver and 1/4 oz / 7,778 grams of pure gold with 26 pcs authentic swarovski crystals inlaid in this 55 mm coin, issued by Cook Islands.

•     Contains 3 oz / 93,3 grams of .999 fine Silver.

•     Contains 1/4 oz / 7,778 grams of .999 fine Gold.

•     Coin embellished with 26 Swarovski crystals

•     Coin comes in a special black box with a numbered COA.

•     Strict limited mintage of only 999 coins.

•     Obverse: Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, “Cook Islands”, and the legal tender value of 20 Dollars.

•     Reverse: A very high quality rendition of Pieta Michelangelo Buonarroti

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                                             In the series of Masterpieces of Art PREMIUM EDITION  you can find:

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                                               2009 Mona Lisa – Leonardo da Vinci

                                               2010 Vitruvian Man – Leonardo da Vinci

                                               2011 The Golden Portrait Mask of Tutankhamun 

                                               2012 The Bust of Nefertiti

                                               2013 The Virgin of Vladimir

                                               2014 Pieta – Michelangelo

                                               2015 The Golden Throne of Tutankhamun   

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  History:

The Pietà (1498–1499) is a work of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti, housed in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. It is the first of a number of works of the same theme by the artist. The statue was commissioned for the French Cardinal Jean de Bilhères, who was a representative in Rome. The sculpture, in Carrara marble, was made for the cardinal’s funeral monument, but was moved to its current location, the first chapel on the right as one enters the basilica, in the 18th century. It is the only piece Michelangelo ever signed.

This famous work of art depicts the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion. The theme is of Northern origin, popular by that time in France but not yet in Italy. Michelangelo’s interpretation of the Pietà is unprecedented in Italian sculpture. It is an important work as it balances the Renaissance ideals of classical beauty with naturalism

The structure is pyramidal, and the vertex coincides with Mary’s head. The statue widens progressively down the drapery of Mary’s dress, to the base, the rock of Golgotha. The figures are quite out of proportion, owing to the difficulty of depicting a fully-grown man cradled full-length in a woman’s lap. Much of Mary’s body is concealed by her monumental drapery, and the relationship of the figures appears quite natural. Michelangelo’s interpretation of the Pietà was far different from those previously created by other artists, as he sculpted a young and beautiful Mary rather than an older woman around 50 years of age.

The marks of the Crucifixion are limited to very small nail marks and an indication of the wound in Jesus’ side.

Christ’s face does not reveal signs of The Passion. Michelangelo did not want his version of the Pietà to represent death, but rather to show the “religious vision of abandonment and a serene face of the Son”, thus the representation of the communion between man and God by the sanctification through Christ.

Pieta Michelangelo Buonarroti

Year 1498–1499