St Michael and the Dragon

The Archangel Michael is shown as victor over Satan and the powers of evil as symbolised by a distinctive three-headed dragon. This image of St Michael was common in Spanish medieval art and was related to the fight against the Muslims. The painting has been attributed to Juan Jiménez because of its similarity to figures found on the remains of an altarpiece of 1500 - 1503 by Juan and his father, Miguel, in the parish church of Tamarite de Litera in the province of Huesca, Aragon. The Jiménezs worked in the circle of Bartolomé Bermejo (1440 - 1498) whose important depiction of St Michael painted in 1468 is now in the National Gallery, London. The date of this picture is uncertain because the saint’s Italianate armour appears to date from the second quarter of the 16th century, but the gilded background and moulded frame are stylistically closer to the late 15th century. The picture surface has been damaged and extensively retouched.