Saint Michael
c. 1470/1480
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
plate: 14.2 × 9.1 cm (5 9/16 × 3 9/16 in.) sheet: 29.8 × 22 cm (11 3/4 × 8 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.142
Art Historical Context
Behold *Saint Michael*, a masterful engraving by Israhel van Meckenem, created around 1470–1480. This late 15th-century German printmaker was a leading figure in the Northern Renaissance, renowned for his intricate religious imagery produced through the innovative medium of engraving. Depicting the archangel triumphing over a dragon—symbolizing the victory of good over evil—the work captures the devotional fervor of medieval Christianity, where Saint Michael served as a protector against temptation and the forces of hell. Van Meckenem's technique shines in the fine lines incised with a burin ...
About the Artist
Israhel van Meckenem · 1435–1503
Israhel van Meckenem (c. 1445–1503), also known as Israhel van Meckenem the Younger, was a pioneering German engraver and goldsmith based in Bocholt, near the Dutch border, renowned as the most prolific printmaker of the fifteenth century. Born into a family possibly of Dutch origin, he was the son of Israhel van Meckenem the Elder, a goldsmith who settled in Bocholt in 1457. He trained initially ...