Night by Michelangelo

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by Henk Bekker

Night by Michelangelo in the Medici Chapels in Florence

Guiliano (1478-1516), Duke of Nemours and brother of Pope Leo X, is portrayed by Michelangelo as a military captain in the New Sacristy of San Lorenzo. He is flanked by the reclining statue of Day โ€” a powerful male with an unfinished face โ€” and Night, a young sleeping woman with a head inspired by classic Greek sculptures.

The group monument in the Medici Chapels is undergoing cleaning and restoration work.