The reliefs of 'Night and Day' are an example of the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen’s work and are two of his most popular pieces. As opposites,
they represent the two halves of a day.
Night personified floats passively over the sky. Her eyes are closed as are the eyes of the children in her embrace. Her hair is braided with poppies, known
since Antiquity for their sleep-inducing attributes.
Day personified flies actively across the sky with her head held high. She looks over her shoulder and fixes her gaze on the small torch-bearing boy here proudly symbolizing the light and the sun.
