St Michael and the Dragon sculpture
- Period
- Circa 1460 - 1500
- Origin
- The Netherlands
- Dimensions
- W 10 1/2" × H 26 3/4" × D 6"
- Reference
- #Marh1143
This piece has been sold. It is shown here for reference in our archive.
Description
Late Gothic walnut sculpture of St Michael slaying the dragon. A similar example is in The Walters museum in Baltimore, with similar armour and composition.
The archangel Michael was widely honoured as a saint, in which role he is sometimes shown without his customary wings. Wearing the armour of a 15th-century knight, he is represented as defender of the Church against the devil, here symbolised by the dragon. Saint George is also depicted as a knight slaying a dragon, but only Michael wears a diadem (a jewelled crown or headband worn as a symbol of sovereignty).