Saint Michael

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The warrior-archangel Michael, clad in intricately carved and painted armor, treads on a dragon, a symbol of the devil. In his left hand, he carried scales, symbolic of the Last Judgment, to which he summoned earthly souls. Michael’s right hand once held a lance, and his wings have been lost. The forward-bending pose and foreshortening indicate that the figure was made to be positioned at a considerable height, perhaps above or flanking the central shrine of a large retable.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Metropolitan Museum of Art