Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Pietà

ca. 1657–60
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 624
Paintings such as this one by the prominent Sevillian artist Valdés Leal were heavily influenced by the Spanish tradition of large-scale, theatrical sculptures, particularly the pasos—carved and painted ensembles of religious figures typically in intense states of emotion that were paraded through the streets before Easter Sunday. The gruesome details of Christ’s suffering, an especially Spanish phenomenon in painting and sculpture, were intended to heighten spiritual fervor.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Pietà
  • Artist: Juan de Valdés Leal (Spanish, Seville 1622–1690 Seville)
  • Date: ca. 1657–60
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 63 1/4 x 56 1/2 in. (160.7 x 143.5 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Victor Wilbour Memorial Fund, 1954
  • Object Number: 54.168
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
Rapier, Steel, blade, Spanish, Toledo; hilt, European, possibly Spanish
Rapier
blade, Spanish, Toledo; hilt, European, possibly Spanish
blade, ca. 1635; hilt, late 17th century
Self-Portrait with Two Pupils, Marie Gabrielle Capet (1761–1818) and Marie Marguerite Carraux de Rosemond (1765–1788), Adélaïde Labille-Guiard French, Oil on canvas
Self-Portrait with Two Pupils, Marie Gabrielle Capet (1761–1818) and Marie Marguerite Carraux de Rosemond (1765–1788)
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard
1785
Saint John the Baptist, Juan Martínez Montañés Spanish, Polychromed wood with gilding, Spanish, Seville
Saint John the Baptist
Juan Martínez Montañés
ca. 1620–30
Self-Portrait, Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) Spanish, Brush and point of brush, carbon black ink
Self-Portrait
Draftsman Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)
Sitter Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)
ca. 1796
Elizabeth Farren (born about 1759, died 1829), Later Countess of Derby, Sir Thomas Lawrence British, Oil on canvas
Elizabeth Farren (born about 1759, died 1829), Later Countess of Derby
Sir Thomas Lawrence
1790

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.