Late 15th Century Pieta - Lyon France

This polychrome stone sculpture exemplifies the French Late Gothic interpretation of the Pietà—a devotional motif depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the lifeless body of her son, Jesus Christ, after his Crucifixion, evoking profound maternal sorrow and compassion (pietà in Italian, from which the term derives). Dating to the mid- to late 15th century, it hails from northern or central France, likely produced in a regional workshop influenced by the Andachtsbild tradition (German for "devotional image"), which emphasized intimate, emotive scenes for personal piety during the turbulent Hundred Years' War era. Originally destined for a private chapel or church altar, such works served as "talismans in a storm," offering spiritual solace amid plague, war, and social upheaval. The piece, now in the Musee Beau Arts Lyon, retains traces of its original gilding and pigmentation, though centuries of wear have softened its hues to a mottled patina of ochre, azure, and ivory tones, enhancing its melancholic intimacy

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