The two statues were commissioned by Pope Julius II's heirs in 1513 to erect a magnificent monument in St. Peter's Basilica. But this tombstone was never erected, and the magnificent works passed from hand to hand for more than 200 years. They were confiscated by the French authorities and transferred to the Louvre Museum in Paris, where they are still located today. When creating these sculptures, Michelangelo drew inspiration from ancient Greek sculptures, but the meaning of the slave sculptures remains unknown to this day.
The two sculptures express contrasting emotions - the dying slave appears as a young and handsome figure in a deep and sweet sleep, while the rebel appears as one whose body is involved in a violent struggle. If you look carefully at the picture, you must notice that these two works are not finished. This characterizes many of Michelangelo's works, to which is attributed the motto "non-finito" according to which the artist tends to abandon works when he does not feel he is realizing his ideal.
"Pieta" is a general art style associated with Christianity and characterized by the creation of the image of Mary cradling her dead son Jesus after he was taken down from the cross. The sculpture you see in the picture is one of the most famous of Michelangelo's works. It is considered one of the first works attributed to him and claimed that he created it when he was 24 years old.
The sculpture is carved entirely from white marble and shaped with amazing precision using a hammer and chisel. This inspires amazement in the final product. Today the statue is placed in St. Peter's Church in Vatican City, and since 1972 it has been protected by glass walls after a geologist by the name of Laszlo Tut broke into the complex in a fit of madness, holding a heavy hammer and used it to break parts of the statue while shouting "I am Jesus Christ, I have risen from the dead." The damaged parts include Maria's hand and part of her face.
