Artwork
Saint Michael the Archangel
Saint Michael the Archangel is an oil painting by the Spanish Baroque Tenebrist artist Ignacio de Ries. It dates from 1640 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas in 1640, the work adheres to the conventions of seventeenth-century Andean painting while reflecting the artist's training in Seville.
Executed in oil on canvas in 1640, the work adheres to the conventions of seventeenth-century Andean painting while reflecting the artist's training in Seville. The handling is fluid, with delicate glazes modulating the drapery folds of the archangel's armor and the fluttering wings, while the face and hands are rendered with careful, almost linear precision. The palette relies on a restrained range, ochres and umbers for the armor, cool blues and whites for the wings, and warm flesh tones, contrasted by the saturated red of the standard and the golden nimbus.
The figure is positioned frontally, its commanding presence emphasized by the slight contrapposto and the downward glance toward the viewer. The composition's clarity and controlled modeling underscore the hierarchic, devotional purpose typical of colonial religious art.
History & Provenance
The painting Saint Michael the Archangel was created by Ignacio de Ries in 1640. Executed in oil on canvas, the work depicts the religious figure of the angel Michael. The artwork measures 164.5 cm in height and 109.9 cm in width.
Specific details regarding the original commission or the initial ownership chain prior to its acquisition are not available. The piece is currently part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Context
Ignacio de Ries executed Saint Michael the Archangel in 1640 using oil on canvas; the painting measures 164.5 cm in height and 109.9 cm in width. It portrays the archangel Michael, a subject identified in the work's iconography. Classified as a religious painting, the piece belongs to the Spanish Baroque tradition of devotional art and is listed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.
The work's formal qualities and iconographic program reflect contemporary 17th-century practices of representing celestial warriors, situating it within the broader trajectory of Spanish religious art of the period.
Overview
Ignacio de Ries's Saint Michael the Archangel, painted in oil in 1640, depicts a pivotal moment from Christian theology. This painting presents the archangel Michael in triumph over a defeated adversary. The work is currently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, offering a significant example of 17th-century religious art.
Subject & Meaning
The painting illustrates Saint Michael, a prominent figure in religious texts, engaged in battle. He is shown as a winged warrior, clad in armor, asserting dominance over a muscular, fallen figure. Michael's calm yet resolute expression contrasts with the defeated posture of his opponent, who is held by the hair. This scene typically symbolizes the victory of good over evil, a common theme in Baroque religious art.
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