Chinese museum to replicate Michelangelo's sculptures

A museum in China has decided to duplicate renowned painter and sculptor Michelangelo's four masterpieces of bronze statues.

The statues - Day, Night, Twilight and Dawn - collected by the house of Medici, who ruled over Florence in the 15th and 16th century, will be replicated by the Heng Yuan Xiang Art Museum for the first time in China.

These masterpieces were sculpted between 1520-1534 when Michelangelo was in his 40s and 50s. It took him almost 15 years to accomplish this work.

The original sculptures are now displayed at the San Lorenzo Church of the Medicci family in Florence in Italy.

Michelangelo (1475-1564), a rennaissance painter, sculptor, architect and poet, left only a few sculptures in the world. It is thus very rare to find his works.

Museum spokesman Guo Jianchen said they will make six replica sets of Michelangelo's four sculptures. The first set will come out in August. But Guo did not reveal who will buy these replicas and at what prices.

The replication project is part of the "Italian Year in China" programme this year.

A few years ago, Thinker, a statue made by French sculptor Auguste Rodin, was also copied and acquired by a Chinese real estate company in Shanghai.