The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word PIETA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
P
I
E
T
A
More clues leading to the result PIETA
- Mine accommodates East Anglia’s first religious painting
- Religious image from Mondrian, possibly almost his last
- Having odd bits cut out spoiled that work of art
- Mondrian and a painting of the BVM
- Religious portrait from two Athenian characters?
- Two Greek characters in religious depiction
- Religious art that is displayed in exercise area
- One in a tantrum’s a sad subject for a painting
- Religious picture is a welcome luxury. Thanks
- Two Greek characters in religious painting
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "sad subject for a painting" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sad subject for a painting = pieta.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does PIETA mean?
PIETA noun- A sculpture or painting of the Virgin Mary holding and mourning the dead body of Jesus.