| 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 anoil painting by the Italian artistRaphael. Also called theLittle Saint Michael to distinguish it from a larger, later treatment of the same theme,Saint Michael Vanquishing Satan, it is now in theLouvre in Paris.[1] The work depicts theArchangelMichael in combat with the demons of Hell, while the damned suffer behind him. Together with theSaint George, it represents the first of Raphael's works on martial subjects.[2]
An early work of the artist, the painting was executed forGuidobaldo da Montefeltro,Duke of Urbino, in 1504 or 1505 on the back of adraughtboard, possibly commissioned to express appreciation toLouis XII of France for conferring theOrder of Saint Michael onFrancesco Maria I della Rovere, Guidobaldo's nephew and heir.[3] Whatever the impetus for its creation, by 1548 it hung in the collection at thePalace of Fontainebleau.
In her 2006 studyEarly Work of Raphael, Julia Cartwright suggests that the work may betray the influence ofTimoteo 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 ofDante'sInferno.[3] The punishments depicted reflect Dante's treatment of hypocrites and thieves.[4]
A little more than a decade after completing the littleSaint Michael, Raphael was commissioned to revisit the theme, producingSaint Michael Vanquishing Satan forPope Leo X in 1518.[5]
Media related toSaint Michael with the Dragon by Raffaello Sanzio at Wikimedia Commons