Artwork
Saint Giles with Christ Triumphant over Satan and the Mission of the Apostles
Saint Giles with Christ Triumphant over Satan and the Mission of the Apostles is a tempera painting by the Italo Byzantine artist Miguel Alcañiz the Elder. It dates from 1408 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The inclusion of Saint Giles identifies the work as a hagiographic piece dedicated to the saint, emphasizing themes of intercession and divine protection.
The work depicts a complex religious narrative centered on Saint Giles, Christ, and the apostles. As its full title indicates, the composition presents Christ triumphant over Satan, symbolizing the victory of good over evil, contextualized by the mission of the apostles, which illustrates the spread of the Christian faith. The inclusion of Saint Giles identifies the work as a hagiographic piece dedicated to the saint, emphasizing themes of intercession and divine protection.
Created in 1408 by Miguel Alcañiz the Elder, the painting combines the sanctity of Giles with the triumph of Christ and the apostolic mission, its tempera-on-panel medium suiting the solemn, didactic character of early fifteenth-century religious art.
Technique & Style
The painting Saint Giles with Christ Triumphant over Satan and the Mission of the Apostles is executed in tempera on a wooden panel. Created in 1408, it measures 117.2 cm in height by 42.9 cm in width and includes the figures of Saint Giles, the triumphant Christ, and the apostles. The work belongs to the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
The painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Executed in tempera on panel by Miguel Alcañiz the Elder in 1408, it measures 117.2 cm in height by 42.9 cm in width, consistent with its identification as a panel painting. No accession number is provided in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented in the materials reviewed.
Context
The 1408 tempera panel by Miguel Alcañiz the Elder exemplifies early Spanish religious painting. Its iconography combines the hermit saint Giles with a martial Christ subduing Satan, while the surrounding apostles illustrate their missionary commission, reflecting the devotional culture of the period. Scholarship on the piece is sparse, but it is noted within the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection as a representative example of early fifteenth-century Spanish panel painting and of the broader Gothic trajectory of Iberian art.
Overview
This tempera painting by Miguel Alcañiz the Elder, completed in 1408, is titled Saint Giles with Christ Triumphant over Satan and the Mission of the Apostles. It is a religious work that combines several narrative elements, featuring Christ, an apostle, and a saint within its composition. The artwork is currently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Miguel Alcañiz the Elder (1400–1450) was an artist, born in Valencia.
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