Pietà with the Symbols of the Passion, 1404 (tempera on panel)

Pietà with the Symbols of the Passion (Cristo in Pietà con i simboli della Passione), by Lorenzo Monaco, 1404, 15th Century, tempera on panel, 268 x 170 cm Whole artwork view. Jesus Christ, deposed from the cross, is sustained by the Madonna, dressed up with a dark blue garment, and Saint John, who wears a wide, soft pink mantle; his bust comes out from a sepulchre decorated in a typical Classical way with phytomorphic motifs; all around, on a golden background appear symbols and characters tied to the theme of the Passion, like the crown of thorns, the sponge soaked with vinegar, the bag full of money, the pillar of the Flagellation, Christ's robe put to stake by playing dice, the basin and the jug containing water Pilatus washed his hands with; up on the right is also evoked the scene representing the kiss to Judas, in which the two protagonists are represented in a half-length portrait; on the top of the composition, a pelican with bleeding chest, as emblem of Christ's sacrifice Lorenzo Monaco Accademia Gallery