Tomb of Giuliano di Lorenzo de’ Medici in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence

Cornelis Cort, a prominent Dutch engraver, spent twelve years in Italy. From 1569-1570, he lived in Florence where he produced graphic sheets depicting the funeral chapel of the Medicis in the New Sacristy of the Basilica of San Lorenzo. The building of the chapel was motivated by the death of the two last direct heirs of the famous dynasty: Giuliano di Lorenzo de’ Medici, Duke of Nemours in 1516, and notably of the grandson of Lorenzo il Magnifico - Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici, Duke of Urbino in 1519. Michelangelo was entrusted by Pope Leo X Medici to build a monumental chapel with tombs that would include a monument commemorating the Pontiff’s father Lorenzo il Magnifico and his uncle Giuliano de’ Medici. The artist worked intermittently on the prestigious commission until 1534. Even though the original plan was not completed, the Medici Chapel is a magnicent example of the harmonious blending of sculpture and architecture. The tomb of Giuliano de’ Medici is accompanied by the sculptural figures of Night (female) and Day (male).