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Archangel Michael Slaying the Dragon
(Medieval Europe )
His wings outstretched and his cloak fluttering behind him, St. Michael plunges his spear into the dragon's jaws. The archangel's position on the body of the dragon symbolizes the victory of good over evil, which is further emphasized by the contrast between the sweeping wing of the archangel and the immobilized wing of the dragon. By extending Michael's wing beyond the punched border decoration, the painter makes the archangel seem to expand into the picture field in front of the gold background.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [1881 catalogue: no. 14; 1897 catalogue: no. 18 as school of Giotto]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2008 | The Reunification of an Early Italian Tryptych. Bob Jones University Museum and Gallery, Greenville. |
Geographies
Italy, Tuscany (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Painted surface H: 15 1/16 x W: 12 3/4 x D: 13/16 in. (38.2 x 32.4 x 2 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.705