splendid thighs of the woman
again realise a favourite problem of Michael Angelo's. He represented
these powerful limbs in the Flood and other parts of the Sistine vault,
and in the Leda. Beneath is seen an owl; never before in sculpture has a
bird been represented with such power and dignity, save only by the Greeks
in the eaglets head on the coin of Eiis. There are wreaths of poppy heads,
symbols of sleep, and a moon and stars to crown the head that is like the
head of a greater than Diana.

Evening, a brawny, hard-worked man, looks across the chapel with pity
towards the Night. He appears to be in the act of straightening and
stretching out his limbs, lately bent by the toils of the day, in
longed-for rest.

[Image #42]

THE MADONNA AND CHILD

THE NEW SACRISTY, SAN LORENZO, FLORENCE
(_By permission of the Fratelli Alinari, Florence_)

The virgin Dawn lifts her weary head, as it were, in despair, that another
day of shame and reproach is beginning; her long, lithe limbs and narrow
hips contrast with the ample girth and muscular power of the Night. The
modelling of the torso of this figure is, perhaps, the finest piece of
workmanship in the chapel, and should be studied from every point of view,
even from the back of the monument. The muscular forms and the disposition
of the lines are so beautiful and true that it is a veritable marvel and
wonder of the world. The right proportion of development necessary for a
figure of that colossal size to move and live has never been so well
calculated. The head is so beautiful that it cannot be spoken about; but
must be seen in the position Michael Angelo designed it for, and not
tilted upright on an ordinary pedestal as it is always seen in the art
schools. All the four figures struggle with the trials, difficulties, and
despair of their lives, as who should say, to such a pass has Medici rule
reduced existence in Florence.

One other statue in the Chapel is entirely by the hand of the master, a
Madonna suckling the child Jesus, a strong boy straddling across her knee
and turning right round to reach the breast. Although unfinished, it is
one of Michael Angelo's noblest works; it is a notable example of
compactness of design, and of how he left the shape of the block of marble
evident in his finished work.

CHAPTER IX

THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGEDY OF THE TOMB, AND THE DAY