Saint Michael
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
13.7 × 9 cm
Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Grace Rainey Rogers Fund
Accession Number
1948.457
Tags
male
About this artwork
Wearing gothic armor and a spectacular cape, the Archangel Michael prepares to strike down two demons with a broadsword. As the leader of the battle against Satan in Saint John’s vision of the Apocalypse, Michael exemplified the medieval belief that angels fought every day to protect people from sinful temptation, characterized here by the face leering from the devil’s belly directly at the viewer.