In November 1497 the French cardinal Jean de Bilhères Lagranlos, ambassador of Carl VIII near Pope Alexander YOU, the incaricò to carve the group with the Mercy, hour in the Basilica of Saint Peter, with a contract stipulated in August 1498; the group realized in pyramidal position with the Vergine like vertical axis and the dead body of the Christ like horizontal axis, re-united through the drapery that hires monumental character, was inspired to the lignei groups realizes to you to north of the Alps, Vesperbilder sayings, that is images of the Vergine, and connects you to the liturgy of the Saint Friday. In this the scultorea technique of the finish of the particular came lead to the extreme consequences, much to give to the marble effects of traslucido and cerea morbidezza.
After an incident in 1972 when an individual damaged it with an axe, the sculpture was placed behind protective glass.