Virgin Mary is meant to symbolize purity and divinity. For that reason, Michelangelo’s decision to depict Mary as a youthful woman despite her old age served to effectively portray her essence. Being such integral part of the Christian religion, she is meant to represent someone of utmost divinity. She should not resemble the average human being, therefore, if the sculptor had chosen to portray her as an elderly woman, it would have detracted from the beauty of the piece. It has the effect that it does because it made note of her special nature. I feel as though if she resembled a fifty-year-old woman, this piece would not have attracted much attention, as other artists were depicting a similar scene at this time. They, however, depicted Mary
