Have you ever seen something in a thrift store that you simply had to have, beyond all reason?
I have. And here it is.
I went to the Palma Sola Thrift Shop on Monday on my walk home from Starbucks and found this worn, garden-sculpture reproduction of Michelangelo's "Pietà" sitting on an outdoor shelf. I love it! Of course it's incredibly tacky, but it's also beautiful, with its worn colors and the all the pockmarks in the casting.
I've seen the real Pietà in Rome -- here's my photo -- and I'm sure Michelangelo would be distressed at this version. Again, that's partly why it's so great.
I tried to walk away from it, I really did. In fact I left it there overnight. But I kept thinking about it, and decided that even though it's completely ridiculous for me to transport this object back to London in a suitcase, I had to buy it. I picked it up for $4.95 on my walk the next day.
I haven't shown it to Dave's parents. I'm not sure they'd get the humor. Dave laughed about it when I described it to him as "a statue of Mary holding Jesus," but when I showed it to him he blanched. "Oh, Jesus is an adult," he said. I'm not sure he's thrilled about having this in our apartment.
But I'm telling you, I am powerless. I'm picturing it on the bathroom windowsill.
I would have bought it right that second. I am SO anti-religious but things like that just make me go weak with wanting. I have no idea why. But they do. So I completely understand.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I would have snapped that up. I love religious statuary. And I'm an atheist. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteStephen Hayes did a post on the Pieta sculpture - about the "trick" the sculpture played with it. Pretty cool.
ReplyDeletea mother grieving over the death of her son. matters not how old the child. it would be a powerful piece even without the religious significance.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am not a lover of religious statuary, I can certainly see the appeal of this little piece. It has a certain charm. I am assuming it's little since you will be tucking into your suitcase! I've seen the original too and it's a strikingly beautiful piece.
ReplyDeleteI love the muted colors.
Love this. Yes, it's tacky. And yes it will be fabulous on the bathroom windowsill. (Sorry, Dave!)
ReplyDeleteEvery time I see the Pieta, I hear the same song in my head: Hush little baby, don't say a word...
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. I love it. The blue is perfect, as are the pockmarks. And I, too, have seen the real thing in Rome. This will be a close second, particularly on your bathroom sill!
ReplyDeleteit is quite beautiful, more so for its wear. i saw the real thing when i was 14, and all i could do was stare, hushed, for a long time. this one evokes that somehow, i think it is the shape of jesus's body, and the way mary's love cradles him. and that blue. that perfect faded blue.
ReplyDelete