This mosaic by Greek-born artist Nikos Bel-Jon (1911-1966) depicts the Last Station of the Cross and was displayed at Radio City for an Easter exhibition in the late 1950s, where it caught the eye of many. It also attracted the attention of Duke Ellington, who knew Bel-Jon and admired his work. Duke selected the mosaic„handcrafted from thousands of pieces of anodized aluminum„and gifted it to his devoutly religious sister Ruth. Faith was an important part of Ellington's artistic life and during the period he purchased the "Pieta," he was deeply involved in the composition of his series of Sacred Concerts, which he considered his most important and personal work. Indeed, there is a sense that this extraordinary mosaic provided further inspiration for Duke as he approached the end of his life. Bel-Jon was an innovator in the field of metal art and created this piece in 1957. He loaned it out for exhibition in the New York City area before selling to Ellington. Bel-Jon's metal art adorns many prominent buildings including the Pfizer Building, the FBI headquarters, Air India headquarters and the Greek Consulate. Bel-Jon meant for the work to be displayed with a lighting system above to refract the light and create a beautiful array of colors. This technique is best described on Bel-Jon's website: "What makes his work spectacular are the specially arranged lighting systems that give the murals a sparkling iridescence in ever changing color tones. These lights, reflecting from the facets of countless "scratches", vividly project his murals' figures. When the lights are turned off, the murals take on a silvery-white appearance with grey to black shadows." Measures approximately 4' x 8'.