Photographed by Scott Wolff. Scanned from a slide. Color corrected by Pat Cagney.

Saint Michael the Archangel

Artist Unknown

CultureFranco-Flemish

Datemid 1400s

MediumPainted wood

DimensionsOverall: 59 3/4 in. (151.8 cm)
Base: 19 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. (49.5 x 49.5 cm)

Credit LineGift of the Irene Leache Memorial Foundation, in memory of Anna Cogswell Wood

Object number2014.3.8

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 201

DescriptionThis painted wood sculpture with some gilt depicts Saint Michael. The full-length Michael subdues Satan by trampling him underfoot. The archangel was originally sculpted with wings. In his upraised right hand he probably held a spear or cross-staff. In his left hand he may have held a shield or, perhaps, a pair of scales, a traditional attribute of Saint Michael that alludes to his role as the weigher of souls at the Last Judgment (Daniel 5:27).

Label TextSaint Michael the Archangel, mid 1400s Franco-Flemish Painted wood During a war among the angels, the archangel Michael battled Satan and drove him from heaven. Michael is shown here in the midst of that cosmic struggle, his right hand raised to strike the dragon whom he tramples underfoot. Though the battle is still raging, the outcome is clear. Michael’s grace and composure assert his righteousness victory over evil. The elegant, swaying figure and his densely folded draper— typical of late medieval sculpture—further dramatize his triumph. Gift of the Irene Leache Memorial Foundation, in memory of Anna Cogswell Wood 2014.3.8 ProvenanceArt Market, Arnold Seligmann, Rey and Co., New York, 1936; Blumka Gallery, 1951; Chrysler Museum Purchase with funds from the Irene Leache Memorial Collection in Memory of Anna Cogswell Wood, 1951; gift of the Irene Leache Memorial Foundation to the Chrysler Museum of Art, March 2014.Exhibition History"An Exhibition of European Art, 1450-1500", Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY, May 8 to June 8, 1936. (Exhib. cat. no. 53). "Masterworks in Wood: The Christian Tradition", The Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR, November 12, 1975 through January 4, 1976. "Large or Small, Bronze or Wood, Painted or Plain: Problems and Solutions in Sculpture", The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA, July 9, 1981 - September 13, 1981. Published References_An Exhibition of European Art, 1450-1500_. Brooklyn Museum, 1936 No. 53 [as Franco-Flemish, Netherlandish School, second half of 15th century], pl. 53. _The Virginian-Pilot_. April 29, 1951. _Norfolk Museum Bulletin_. Vol. 4, #4, April 1951. _The Virginian-Pilot_. January 6, 1952. _The Virginian-Pilot_. "Museum Piece of the Week," October 1, 1956. _Masterworks in Wood: The Christian Tradition_. Portland, OR: The Portland Art Museum, 1975, No. 49, ill. David Steadman. _Large or Small, Bronze or Wood, Painted or Plain: Problems and Solutions in Sculpture_. Norfolk, VA: The Chrysler Museum, 1981, No. 3, p. 6, b/w ill. David W. Steadman, "Two New Exhibits Open July 9," _The Chrysler Museum Bulletin_. Vol. 11, No. 7 (July 1981), p. 1, b/w ill. Robert Trotter, "Virginia: An area rich with colonial, maritime and historical art," _Art Voices_. July/August 1981, p. 35, b/w ill. The Chrysler Museum. _Selections from the Permanent Collections_. Norfolk, VA: The Chrysler Museum, 1982, p. 26, b/w ill. Jefferson C. Harrison, "Northern Art: Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries," _The Chrysler Museum Gallery Guide_. Norfolk, VA: 1984, No. 12, p. 4, b/w ill. Jefferson C. Harrison. _The Chrysler Museum Handbook of the European and American Collections: Selected Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings_. Norfolk, VA: The Chrysler Museum, 1991, No. 3, p. 4, color ill.