Rotting Jesus: Rottgen Pieta

The wooden statue of Mary holding dead Jesus is purposely disproportionate and contrasts sharply with other European statuaries of the time. Although the statue is painted wood, the colors used for Mary and Jesus Christ are dull greys and browns. To symbolize Mary's grief and Jesus's low place in society at the time of his death, Mary and Jesus's clothing is not elaborate of ornamented. The wounds on Jesus's hands, feet and chest are all dramatically gashing blood and his head hangs backward at an awkward angle making his neck look deformed--elaborating the ghastliness of his death.

The purpose of all of the gore and grief carved into this statue was not only to depict the gloom of Jesus's death, the statue is also a symbol for the "widespread troubles" (Gardner's Art Through the Ages) facing the Holy Roman Empire during the 14th century. The Christians at the time who were facing hardships-- war, plague, famine and social strife-- could now have a noble figure to share their grief with-- Jesus and the Virgin themselves. To display the theme of sorrow, the artist (unknown) exaggerated Jesus's body shape (a frail, bloody body with a dangling, enlarged head) sitting on Mary's lap, just how a mother would hold a wounded child. 

 Rottgen Pieta was ahead of it's time in the statue's bold emotionalism in Mary and Jesus's face. If we focus on Mary's face, there is a mix of emotions in her gaze. The artist humanizes Mary by giving her strong emotions. Mary's face looks appalled and anguished because of her son's death, and there is also a sense of shock, and awe that anyone would kill her son- the Son of God. The artist had exaggerated Mary's sorrow in attempts to make it seem she was asking the viewer, 'what is happening to you that can be more distraught that this?'