Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

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

More Artwork

More Artwork
Paschal Candlestick, Wood with paint and gilding, Spanish
Paschal Candlestick
Spanish
ca. 1450–1500
Paris, Antico (Pier Jacopo Alari Bonacolsi) Italian, Bronze, partially fire-gilt, silver inlay, Italian, Mantua
Paris
Antico (Pier Jacopo Alari Bonacolsi)
ca. 1518–1524
Saint Anthony Abbot, Nikolaus von Hagenau German, Walnut, German
Saint Anthony Abbot
Attributed to Nikolaus von Hagenau
ca. 1500
Saint James the Greater, Gil de Siloe Spanish, Alabaster with paint and gilding, Spanish
Saint James the Greater
Gil de Siloe
1489–93
Saint John the Baptist, Juan Martínez Montañés Spanish, Polychromed wood with gilding, Spanish, Seville
Saint John the Baptist
Juan Martínez Montañés
ca. 1620–30

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.