Michelagelo's Pietà


Michelangelo carved the Pietà  from a single block of marble in 1498. It depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus Christ after he was removed from the cross. This sculpture lives in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
Exterior of St. Peter's
Interior of St. Peter's

Interesting fact about the Pietà (located in the north aisle) is that it was not always behind bullet-proof glass. It was placed behind the glass as a result of an attack on the sculpture by geologist, Laszlo Tothin, in 1972. It was painstakingly restored form 10 months and then re-opened to the public in 1973.

After receiving 12 hammer strikes from Laszlo Tothin

Detail of Mary's head in profile
Source

LINK to another example post for Art in Life about Picasso's Guernica