"Pietà"

The painting comes from the collection of the Marquis de Heredia. The work's commissioner is unknown. The canvas is signed in the lower right corner on a rock according to the usual formula the artist used at the time: "Jusepe de Ribera español 1633". Ribera was one of the most prolific painters, both in the quantity of works that came out of his workshop and its quality.

Ribera painted the subject of the Pietá on numerous occasions and with many different variations throughout his life. The earliest of his extant Pietás dates to 1620 (National Gallery) whilst two others were produced in 1633 (Thyssen Museum) and 1637 (Charterhouse of San Martino, Naples).