De Heilige Michaël en de draak

About this artwork

gravure

Art Historical Context

**De Heilige Michaël en draak (Saint Michael and the Dragon Martin Schongauer, c. 1470–1491 Engraving, 160 × 112 mm Behold Martin Schongauer’s masterful engraving *De Heilige Michaël de draak*, a depiction of the archangel Michael triumphing over the dragon, symbolizing the eternal battle between good and evil in Christian iconography. Created during the late 15th century in the German-speaking regions of the Holy Roman Empire, this work exemplifies the Northern Renaissance’s blend of Late Gothic detail and emerging realism. Schongauer, one of the era’s pioneering engravers from Colmar,...

About the Artist

Martin Schongauer · 1435–1491

Martin Schongauer, born around 1450–1453 in Colmar, Alsace, emerged from a family of skilled artisans. The third of four or five sons of goldsmith Caspar Schongauer, who had relocated from Augsburg to Colmar around 1440, Martin was immersed in the goldsmith's trade from youth, likely receiving his initial training in his father's workshop—a common path for early engravers. He further honed his ski...