The Fall of the Rebel Angels

1715–1725

Medium

Fine-grained, calcareous limestone

Dimensions

55 × 16.5 cm

Status

In Museum Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-230065

The history of the world in Christian terms is often portrayed as a conflict between good and evil. That struggle is played out in this small but elaborate sculpture of the archangel Michael battling followers of the Devil. A youthful Saint Michael raises his sword triumphantly while standing atop a pile of writhing demons. A half-sphere forming the sculpture's base provides a striking physical context for this cosmic battle. Shapes of continents subtly painted on its surface, and flames issuing from cracks, symbolize a corrupt earth beneath a war-ravaged heaven. The story that this sculpture illustrates comes from a passage in the Bible's prophetic last section, The Book of Revelation (12:7-9): "And there was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon ... and the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceived the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Depictions of Saint Michael striking a dragon, serpent, or semi-human figure first became popular in European art during the Middle Ages, and over time came to symbolize various contemporary concerns. The imag…