Even the greatest of heroes meet their end eventually, whether they be staff-wielding wizards or portly plumbers. With this incredible sculpture, Polish artist Kordian Lewandowski presents the demise of none other than our favourite 8-bit champion, Super Mario. And as sad as it is, it’s really quite breathtaking.

“Game Over” shows Peach, or Princess Toadstood to her subjects, cradling the limp body of Mario in a pose reminiscent of Michelangelo’s “Pietà“. Rather than carving it out of solid marble, Kordian chose to work with an enormous styrofoam block, but he did create his own masterpiece with something that even the great Michelangelo could never claim to be a competent user of: a chainsaw.

We know the sight of a fairytale princess clinging to a plumber who has an unfeasibly large head and Ron Jeremy-style moustache borders on the ridiculous, but at the same time there’s something genuinely moving about Kordian’s piece.

▼ The artist sizes up his materials and starts to work on his sculpture

▼ Work in progress.

▼ The finished product is simply breathtaking.

Check out more of Kordian Lewandowski’s incredible work over on deviantART.

Images: deviantART, imgur