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Michelangelo's youthful masterpiece — the Virgin Mary cradling the lifeless body of Christ, carved from a single flawless block of Carrara marble.

The only work he ever signed, completed at just twenty-four. Since 1749 it has rested in the first chapel of the basilica, luminous behind protective glass.

In 1972 a hammer-wielding attacker shattered Mary's arm and chipped her face; the meticulous restoration that followed is why a glass shield now stands between the statue and the crowds.

Look closely and the composition forms a near-perfect pyramid — her flowing robes widen into a stable base that draws the eye up toward her downturned face.