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Saint Michael and the Devil

Light wood sculpture of angel with shield looking towards devil at feet.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • Light wood sculpture of angel with shield looking towards devil at feet.

Date:

1475/1500

Artist:

Spanish

About this artwork

Saint Michael was one of the seven archangels of God in the Old Testament, and he led the heavenly host against God’s enemies in the book of Revelation. This sculpture represents Michael’s battle against Satan, who lies at his feet, pierced by the saint’s lance. This subject would inevitably have been associated with the hope of salvation, since Saint Michael was often depicted weighing the souls of the blessed and the damned in images of the Last Judgment. This wood sculpture is a powerful example of the influence of trends from northern Europe on the art of Spain in the second half of the fifteenth century through the importation of works of art and craftsmen. The angular, dancing rhythm of the saint’s pose and the tight, graphic quality of the details of his shield, hair, and wings may reflect sources in northern European prints, such as the engravings of Master E. S. These elements would originally have been enhanced by a painted and gilded surface, which at some point was stripped away.

Status

On View, Gallery 237

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Spanish

Title

Saint Michael and the Devil

Place

Seville (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1470–1505

Medium

Poplar, formerly polychromed and gilded

Dimensions

52.4 × 22.9 × 21.3 cm (20 5/8 × 9 × 8 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Chester D. Tripp Endowment

Reference Number

2004.721

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/184324/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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