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Saint Michael

ca. 1530
On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 20
The warrior-archangel Michael, clad in intricately carved and painted armor, treads on a dragon, a symbol of the devil. In his left hand, he carried scales, symbolic of the Last Judgment, to which he summoned earthly souls. Michael’s right hand once held a lance, and his wings have been lost. The forward-bending pose and foreshortening indicate that the figure was made to be positioned at a considerable height, perhaps above or flanking the central shrine of a large retable.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Saint Michael
  • Date: ca. 1530
  • Geography: Made in Castile-León, Spain
  • Culture: Spanish
  • Medium: Wood, paint, and gilding
  • Dimensions: Overall: 73 1/2 in., 235lb. (186.7 cm, 106.6kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture-Wood
  • Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1953
  • Object Number: 53.65
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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