Michelangelo's Madonna & Child

We went to Bruges, Belgium yesterday, and we saw this statue while we were there. It is a Madonna & Child Jesus by Michelangelo. It is special, because not very many of Michelangelo's works were transported from Italy. To me, it is a very moving piece, because Mary looks very much like the Mary in Michelangelo's "Pieta." The Pieta is on display in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, which I was very lucky to see when I was in college. That Pieta statue moved me very much, as it depicts Mary holding Christ after he has been subjected to the crucifiction and has passed on from this world. Mary has a similar somber look in both statues. She holds Jesus in her lap in both, as well. I think that now being a mother myself, I understand both of these works in a whole new way. The love for a child is such a strong and all-encompassing thing...and to imagine going through what Mary went through when Jesus died...it is too much. I love Michelangelo's depictions of Mary and Jesus. They are both very tender and emotional. They are truly great masterpieces.