Correspondence

The Breasts of “Night”: Michelangelo as Oncologist

N Engl J Med 2000; 343:1577-1578November 23, 2000

Article

To the Editor:

The unusual appearance of the left breast of Michelangelo's “Night,” a marble statue of a female figure, has often been mentioned in the literature on Michelangelo's Medici Chapel (Church of San Lorenzo, Florence, Italy). One of us, an oncologist, found three abnormalities associated with locally advanced cancer in the left breast. There is an obvious, large bulge to the breast contour medial to the nipple; a swollen nipple–areola complex; and an area of skin retraction just lateral to the nipple (Figure 1Figure 1Michelangelo's “Night . ” ). These features indicate a tumor just medial to the nipple, involving either the nipple itself or the lymphatics just deep to the nipple and causing tethering and retraction of the skin on the opposite side. These findings do not appear in the right breast of “Night” or in “Dawn,” another female figure in the Medici Chapel, or in the many other depictions of women in works by Michelangelo.

Modern scholars agree that the unusual appearance of the breast of “Night” is intentional and not due to an error or its slightly unfinished state. Art historians and even plastic surgeons have argued that it reflects the artist's supposed lack of interest in or familiarity with the nude female figure.1-4 We suggest that Michelangelo carefully inspected a woman with advanced breast cancer and accurately reproduced the physical signs in stone. Even if he did not see the disease in a model, he could have studied the corpse of a woman; moreover, autopsies were legal at that time. Given that Michelangelo depicted a lump in only one breast, he presumably recognized this as an anomaly. Many doctors in his day could probably diagnose this condition in a woman. Historians of breast cancer agree that the disease and its treatment were discussed, often at length, and described as cancer by the most famous medical authorities of antiquity — Hippocrates, Celsus, and Galen — and by several prominent medieval authors, including Avicenna and Rolando da Parma.5-7

For these reasons, there is a strong possibility that Michelangelo intentionally showed a woman with disease and that he may have known that the illness was cancer. If Michelangelo indeed depicted “Night” as having a consuming disease, this would complement the imagery in the Medici Chapel, help us understand his study of the female body, and add to our knowledge of the depiction and allegorical associations of illness in the Renaissance.

James J. Stark, M.D.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Portsmouth, VA 23704

Jonathan Katz Nelson, Ph.D.
New York University, 50139 Florence, Italy

7 References

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   Hayes H Jr. A question on a Michelangelo sculpture. Plast Reconstr Surg 1990;87:192-192
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   Mangus D. Michelangelo and the female breast. Plast Reconstr Surg 1991;88:374-375
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   Wise DM. Michelangelo and the female breast. Plast Reconstr Surg 1991;88:375-375
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   Obinu GM. Il cancro dal punto di vista storico. Genoa, Italy: Don Bosco, 1961.
   

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   De Moulin D. A short history of breast cancer. Boston: Martinus Nijhoff, 1983.
   

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   Pluchinotta AM. Iconographia senologica: l'immagine del seno nella storia, nella cultura e nell'arte. Padua, Italy: La Garangola, 1985.
   

Citing Articles (1)

Citing Articles

1. 1

   Brenda M. Sabo, Catherine Thibeault. (2011) “I’m still who I was” creating meaning through engagement in art: The experiences of two breast cancer survivors. European Journal of Oncology Nursing
   CrossRef