Saint Michael with Lucifer
c. 1556/1560
Medium
pen and brown ink with brown wash over black chalk
Dimensions
overall: 31.8 x 22.6 cm (12 1/2 x 8 7/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of William B. O'Neal
Accession Number
1984.87.1
Art Historical Context
Behold *Saint Michael with Lucifer*, a captivating drawing by the Italian Mannerist artist Giuseppe Porta ( known as Salviati), created around 1556–1560. This work depicts the dramatic biblical confrontation between the Archangel and the fallen angel Lucifer, a timeless motif symbolizing the eternal triumph of good over evil. Porta's fluid lines capture the intensity of the struggle, with Michael's poised victory over the defeated Lucifer evoking the spiritual fervor of Counter-Reformation art in mid-16th-century Italy. Executed in pen and brown ink with brown wash over black chalk, the piece...