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Day and Night - Thorvaldsen's Reliefs

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Rather than a bird, Bertel Thorvaldsen's relief sculpture of  Day carries along with her an impish figure, generally known as the Genius (spirit) of Light, who holds aloft a torch.  Click on photos to enlarge.


His Night tenderly embraces two sleeping children, carrying them home to bed.  She is not veiled, but does wear a cap—a nightcap?—which some carvers turn into more of a Phrygian cap.  There is no ambiguity about her avian companion.  This poignant image has been used on the gravestones of children; it would have been a natural choice for mourning jewelry.  Click on photos to enlarge.


NotNightDespite her similarity to Thorvaldsen's Night, this figure is a  Guardian Angel.