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Bartolomé Bermejo, 'Saint Michael Triumphs over the Devil', 1468

About the work

Overview

A saint clad in shining armour raises his sword to strike a hideous demon beneath his feet. This is the Archangel Michael fighting the devil, as described in the Book of Revelation. His multi-coloured wings meet over his head and curve protectively around the man who kneels at his feet. This is the donor Antoni Joan, lord of Tous, his heavy gold chain and sword nestled in the crook of his arm identifying him as a knight.

This is the most important fifteenth-century Spanish painting in Britain. It was almost certainly the central part of a polyptych (multi-panelled altarpiece) commissioned for the high altar of the church of San Miguel in Tous, near Valencia. De Cárdenas, known as ‘Bermejo’ because of his red hair or ruddy complexion, has signed the painting on a folded piece of parchment at the bottom left, using the Latin version of his nickname, ‘Rubeus’.

Key facts

Details

Full title
Saint Michael triumphant over the Devil with the Donor Antoni Joan
Artist dates
about 1440 - about 1501
Date made
1468
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
179.7 × 81.9 cm
Inscription summary
Signed
Acquisition credit
Bought by Private Treaty Sale with a grant from the American Friends of the National Gallery, London, made possible by Mr J. Paul Getty Jnr’s Endowment Fund, 1995
Inventory number
NG6553
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Frame
20th-century Replica Frame

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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