Artwork
The Archangel Michael Defeating Satan
The Archangel Michael Defeating Satan is an oil painting by the Spanish Baroque Tenebrist artist Antonio Palomino. It dates from 1696 and is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the archangel Michael in triumph over a prostrate Satan, a scene drawn from Christian apocryphal and exegetical traditions in which Michael casts down the rebellious angel who had sought to usurp divine authority. Michael is typically shown armored and winged, wielding a spear or sword while Satan appears as a monstrous or defeated figure beneath him, underscoring the victory of celestial virtue over diabolical rebellion. In Palomino’s rendering, the confrontation visualizes the triumph of good over evil and the affirmation of divine order, themes central to Counter-Reformation religious art.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas in 1692, the work employs a fluid, tenebrist handling typical of late seventeenth-century Spanish painting, with strong chiaroscuro that isolates the archangel’s armored form and the writhing demonic figure beneath a luminous cloudburst. The archangel’s plumed armor and sweeping crimson mantle are rendered with smooth blending and delicate highlights, while the defeated Satan is depicted in coarse, agitated brushwork to convey his turmoil. The composition’s vertical thrust and symmetrical arrangement emphasize Michael’s triumphant gesture, framed by billowing drapery and a radiant golden nimbus that dissolves into the dark ground, reinforcing the divine victory.
History & Provenance
The painting 'The Archangel Michael Defeating Satan' by Antonio Palomino is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit.
Antonio Palomino created the oil-on-canvas painting The Archangel Michael Defeating Satan in 1692. This religious work depicts the Archangel Michael triumphing over Satan. The Detroit Institute of Arts currently holds the piece in its collection. The work dates specifically to the year 1692, marking its inception during Palomino's early career.
The painting 'The Archangel Michael Defeating Satan' by Antonio Palomino is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit. Created in 1692, the work is executed in oil on canvas. The provided sources confirm its current location and institutional ownership but do not list a specific inventory or accession number, nor do they detail any past or upcoming exhibition history for this specific piece.
Overview
Created in 1696 by the Spanish painter Antonio Palomino, this oil on canvas portrays the celestial conflict between the archangel Michael and Satan. Executed in the dramatic tenebrist idiom of the Spanish Baroque, the composition is now part of the Detroit Institute of Arts’ permanent collection.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Acislo Antonio Palomino de Castro y Velasco (1655 – 13 April 1726) was a Spanish painter of the Baroque period, and a writer on art, author of El Museo pictórico y escala óptica, which contains a large amount of…
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