Saint Michael and the Dragon

Spanish (Valencian) Painter

ca. 1405 · Tempera on wood, gold ground · European Paintings

This work was painted in Italy by an unknown artist whose style is indebted to the richness and refinement of Valencian art at the beginning of the fifteenth century. Saint Michael wears a brightly colored brigandine embellished with gold foliate decoration and wields a great sword with almost balletic grace against the seven-headed dragon of the Apocalypse. The idealized beauty of the youthful archangel contrasts with the monstrous, bat-winged creature sprawled at his feet. Their violent and timeless struggle is staged against a finely inscribed gold ground that emphasizes the celestial setting of the battle.

Artist

Spanish (Valencian) Painter

Date

ca. 1405

Medium

Tempera on wood, gold ground

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1912