A structural investigation of complexes formed between the Pb2+ ion and glutathione (GSH, denoted AH3 in its triprotonated form) the most abundant non2protein thiol in biological systems, was carried out for a series of aqueous solutions at pH 8.5 and CPb2+ = 10 mM, and in the solid state. The Pb LIII-edge EXAFS oscillation for a solid compound with the empirical formula [Pb(AH2)]ClO4 was modeled with one Pb-S and two short Pb-O bond distances at 2.64 ± 0.04 Å and 2.28 ± 0.04 Å, respectively. In addition Pb···Pb interactions at 4.15 ± 0.05 Å indicate dimeric species in a network where the thiolate group forms an asymmetrical bridge between two Pb2+ ions. In aqueous solution at the mole ratio GSH / Pb(II) = 2.0 (CPb2+ = 10 mM, pH 8.5), lead(II) complexes with two thiolate ligands form, characterized by a ligand-to-metal charge transfer band (LMCT) S- → Pb2+ at 317 nm in the UV-vis spectrum and mean Pb-S and Pb-(N/O) bond distances of 2.65 ± 0.04 Å and 2.51 ± 0.04 Å, respectively, from a Pb LIII-edge EXAFS spectrum. For solutions with higher mole ratios, GSH / Pb(II) ≥ 3.0, ESI-MS spectra identified a trisglutathionyl lead(II) complex, for which Pb LIII-edge EXAFS spectroscopy shows a mean Pb-S distance of 2.65 ± 0.04 Å in PbS3 coordination, 207Pb NMR spectroscopy displays a chemical shift of 2793 ppm, and in the UV-vis spectrum an S- → Pb2+ LMCT band appears at 335 nm. The complex persists at high excess of glutathione, and also at ~25 K in frozen glycerol (33%) / water glasses for GSH / Pb(II) mole ratios from 4.0 to 10 (CPb2+ = 10 mM) measured by Pb LIII-edge EXAFS spectroscopy.