A delicate, conservation cleaning operation has been carried out on the ornate figure of St Michael which hangs in the shrine of the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle.
The timber carving - which symbolises hope for mankind's eventual triumph over the evil of war - is suspended from the vaulted ceiling 9.3m (approx. 30 feet) above the casket which holds the Roll of Honour of the Scottish war Dead.
Members of the castle's Monument Conservation Unit (MCU) used hand-held vacuum cleaners, soft brushes and cloths to remove several years' build-up of dust and cobwebs from the archangel.
David Storrar, Historic Scotland regional architect, said: "The figure of St Michael is one of the most magnificent features of the war memorial.
"When visitors first go inside and see him soaring above the shrine casket, you can see it sometimes just about takes their breath away.
"From a care and maintenance point of view the figure is quite a challenge - as we need to put up special scaffolding to reach him.
"But it's quite a privilege to be able to get a close-up view of such a wonderful piece of craftsmanship."
The carving, in which the armoured archangel is seen brandishing a sword, is made of Scottish Oak and was created by the Clow brothers from a design by Alice Meredith Williams.
The figure itself is 3.3 metres (approx. 11 feet) tall and the entire carving, which also features a large medallion engraved with a cross, is 5.4 metres (approx. 17 feet) tall.
The Scottish War National Memorial is cared for on behalf of the nation by a charity that is administered by a board of trustees.
Colonel Ian Shepherd, secretary of the trustees, said: "The figure of the Archangel Michael is a tremendously important feature of the memorial.
"He personifies the soldier fighting in a just cause, but he does not stand for temporal victories - he is an expression of hope that mankind will one day triumph over war itself."