Pietà after 1595 Hubert Gerhard German The jarring loss of Christs arm, as well as the awkwardness of his head and Marys right hand, was caused during the casting of this statuette in bronze. Despite the value of the easily reclaimable raw material, the Pietà was never melted down. The reason for this lies in the prestige of its artist and the beauty of his design, which endures even with the castings failure. Working primarily in terracotta, Gerhard never cast his own bronzes. Probably trained in Florence, he enjoyed an exalted reputation in part thanks to his patrons, who included the phenomenally wealthy Fugger family of merchants and Emperor Rudolf IIs brother, Archduke Maximilian III.[Elizabeth Cleland, 2017. Pietà. Hubert Gerhard (Netherlandish, 1540/50-1621, active Germany). German. after 1595. Bronze. Sculpture-Bronze