Saint Michael (San Miguel)

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

Painted in New Mexico, this small religious scene, or retablo, was meant for private devotion in a chapel or home. Retablos typically depict saints, angels, or the Virgin Mary. The New Mexican painters who specialized in these subjects were called santeros . To develop their iconographies, santeros looked to a variety of printed materials, including woodcuts, pamphlets, and illustrated Bibles. Here, the archangel Michael stands on a monster, representing evil or the devil, as he brandishes a sword. Unusually, he does not hold a scale or balance but rather an inscribed shield.

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