Saint Michael (Raphael)
| Saint Michael | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Raphael |
| Year | c. 1504–1505 |
| Medium | Oil on wood |
| Dimensions | 30 cm × 26 cm (12 in × 10 in) |
| Location | Louvre, Paris |
Saint Michael is an oil painting by the Italian artist Raphael. Also called the Little Saint Michael to distinguish it from a larger, later treatment of the same theme, Saint Michael Vanquishing Satan, it is now in the Louvre in Paris.[1] The work depicts the Archangel Michael in combat with the demons of Hell, while the damned suffer behind him. Together with the Saint George, it represents the first of Raphael's works on martial subjects.[2]
History
An early work of the artist, the painting was executed for
In her 2006 study Early Work of Raphael, Julia Cartwright suggests that the work may betray the influence of Timoteo Viti in the gold tinting to the green wings of Michael, while the sinners in the background suggest that Raphael may have consulted an illustrated volume of Dante's Inferno.[3] The punishments depicted reflect Dante's treatment of hypocrites and thieves.[4]
A little more than a decade after completing the little Saint Michael, Raphael was commissioned to revisit the theme, producing Saint Michael Vanquishing Satan for Pope Leo X in 1518.[5]
See also
References
- ^ Champlin, John Denison; Charles Callahan Perkins (1913). Cyclopedia of painters and paintings. C. Scribner's sons. p. 258. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
- ISBN 978-0-7661-9396-3. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4254-9624-1. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
- ^ Muntz (2005), p. 93.
- ^ Muntz (2005), 176.
External links
Media related to Saint Michael with the Dragon by Raffaello Sanzio at Wikimedia Commons
