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Primary sourceSculpture1520s-1530s

Tomb of Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours

Michelangelo · 1520s-1530s

A sculptural tomb ensemble by Michelangelo showing the idealized duke seated above reclining figures of Night and Day.

Michelangelo designed and carved this entire tomb ensemble for the Medici family.

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Sepia photograph of the Tomb of Giuliano de' Medici in the New Sacristy of San Lorenzo, Florence. A seated marble statue of Giuliano in a central niche sits above a sarcophagus flanked by reclining figures of Night and Day.
Michelangelo, Tomb of Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours. New Sacristy, San Lorenzo, Florence. Photograph by Brogi, c. 1870-1890.

About this source

What it is

This is a sculptural tomb ensemble made by Michelangelo for Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours, located in the New Sacristy of the Medici Chapels in San Lorenzo, Florence.

Why it matters

The seated, idealized statue of Giuliano sits above a sarcophagus flanked by reclining figures personifying Night and Day, representing the passage of time over death. The work reveals how Michelangelo combined architecture and sculpture to create a meditation on mortality for one of the powerful Medici family, patrons central to Renaissance Florence.

Look closer

  • Why might Michelangelo have chosen to idealize the duke's appearance rather than show a realistic likeness?
  • What do the reclining figures of Night and Day suggest about how time and death were thought about?
  • How does placing sculpture within an architectural setting change its effect on a visitor?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Michelangelo Buonarroti on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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