 In this case, the draped canopy is of bronze, and all the details, including the olive leaves, bees, and the portrait heads of Urban's niece in childbirth and her newborn son, are picked out in gold leaf.The baldacchino stands as a vast free-standing sculptural object, central to and framed by the largest space within the building.It is so large that the visual effect is to create a link between the enormous dome which appears to float above it, and the congregation at floor level of the basilica.