SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL IN ART
Saint Michael the Archangel has been a favorite subject in angelic art since the earliest days of Christianity, matched only in frequency by Gabriel. He is generally represented as having quasi-human features, often with large (usually feathered) wings extending from his shoulders (this is the standard representation of named angels who interact with humanity in art, although there are many depictions of angels which defy human convention, being based on the exotic descriptions in Scripture or artistic convention).
Michael is generally shown as an angelic warrior, fully armed and armored. He is usually shown wielding either a sword or lance. Often, he carries a shield, which sometimes bears the Latin inscription “Quis ut Deus?” (“Who is like God?”). In reference to his role in taking part in the judgment of humans, he is often shown holding a set of scales or the book of life. Sometimes, he is depicted with accoutrements such as a marshal's baton, a standard or other military paraphernalia.
He is commonly shown either having vanquished or in the process of defeating a dragon or serpent. Sometimes, his foe is a strange mixture of animal and human, and is quite nightmarish in appearance. Generally speaking, this monstrous enemy represents Satan – although in certain allegorical works it represents a more generic “evil”, if there is indeed a difference.
The physical form, facial features and style of the Archangel Michael vary depending on period and the school of art by which he is being represented. In every single Christian depiction, however, he is shown as being the paragon of youthful physical beauty – but the exact definition of that differs from age to age and area to area!
In the early Jewish Church, for example, images were very uncommon as there was practically no tradition of them in Judaism. In areas where the Church was primarily gentile converts from Rome and Greece, the depictions of Michael were exceedingly close to those of pagan gods such as Apollo and Mars. Sculptures of idealized male nudes and warriors were common in these pagan cultures prior to the coming of Christ, and imagery of the powerful warrior Michael fitted into this mold perfectly. The idealized musculature of the Greco-Roman statuary was to return during the Renaissance.
It is interesting to note, as an aside, that the earliest depictions of Our Lord are very “inaccurate” in that they show Him as looking very like figures of pagan gods such as Apollo – clean-shaven, with curly hair and Greek features. To many in the early Church, this was how a god should look – it was only much later that the depictions we are more familiar with began to appear. Michael – not limited in our minds by an Incarnation – has retained his earlier appearance.
In certain of the northern European cultures – such as those of the Germanic tribes – the pagan gods were seen as being less civilized than those of Greece and Rome; warrior-gods (on whom the imagery of Michael was based) were seen as being strong and powerful, but often wild and roistering. Gods such as Wotan and Thor influenced the depiction of Michael in these areas.
During the Renaissance, a return to Classical ideals was encouraged, and much of the statuary of this period is very similar to that of the Greeks and Romans – it is from this period that our image of an artistic depiction of an angel comes. However, there was also an artistic school which represented the ideal of male beauty as being exceedingly youthful and androgynous; almost feminine to some eyes. We see an example of this sort of idealized beauty in the depiction of Saint John the Evangelist in Da Vinci's Last Supper – here, he looks almost feminine (a fact which lead a number of authors to the erroneous conclusion that it is Saint Mary Magdalena represented in the painting!) but this was merely the style of the time when representing the ideal of youthful beauty. The most famous example of this style depicting the Archangel Michael is Bartolome Bermejo's Triumphant Over The Devil, shown to the right.
In more recent times, the Renaissance and Classical style of face and figure has been retained – the Archangel Michael is generally shown as having an idealized musculature and the regular, handsome features of the Greek statues. The modern resurgence of interest in the angels and archangels (often based on false New Age teachings) has lead to a number of very modern interpretations – many of which are best-described as “comic book” in style. In these, we see a return to an excessively idealized and exaggerated musculature, drawn without any consideration of reality, but rather to an impossible ideal of perfection. All of these owe their genesis, however, to the neo-Classical ideals of the Renaissance.
The style of arms and armor borne by Michael vary greatly, depending on the period of the work of art and the tone the artist wishes to show. Most often, he is shown with a sword or spear (even in modern depictions). The weapon is often (but not exclusively) Roman in style – based on a pilum or gladius, as would be used by the Legionaries of Rome. Sometimes the shield carried by Michael is one of the large square shields of the Legions, and the armor itself could have been taken from any Roman barracks.
Often, however, Michael is shown with Medieval weaponry and armor – this is especially true during the crusading period, and many images exist where he is all-but indistinguishable from the crusaders who invoked his name as they journeyed east. National armies tended to depict him in the colors of their forces, or carrying the banner of their country. As Oliver Cromwell remarked; “Every man who wages war does so in the firm belief God is on his side – I'll wager God must often wonder who is on His.”
During the Renaissance, depictions of Michael in quasi-Medieval armor were common – these images showed Michael wearing armor best-described as “Romantic”; they were products of the great troubadour tradition which idealized the Medieval world and lead to works such as the Morte d'Arthur and other exciting, although inaccurate, tales of chivalry. This armor is distinguished by fantastical adornment, impractical decoration and amazing ostentation. Weapons and armor are made of materials wholly unsuitable for the purpose – gold and silver and precious stones – but it is worth noting that descriptions of Heaven in the Holy Scriptures made common reference to such substances. Angels are not bound by physical conventions, and so who is to say that such depictions are not accurate interpretations of the Archangel Michael's apparitions?
Occasionally, the weapons carried by Michael are shown with a nimbus of light playing around them, or with bolts of lightning or gouts of flame bursting from them. Sometimes, the blades themselves are shown as being made from flame. Imagery like this, together with the traditional halo surrounding the heads of saints, is common in angel art, and is used to show the power and glory of God in terms which the human mind can understand. Flames are often used as a metaphor for God's judgment in the Bible, and light and other radiances are shown to represent the power of Heaven – it is for this reason such elements are common in pictures of Michael.
In more modern works of art, Michael is sometimes presented as wearing ultra-modern or even futuristic armor and carrying strange, outlandish weapons. In many comic books and other forms of media where Michael is shown (again, usually based on false notions!), he looks to our eyes to be some sort of “superhero”, dressed in a costume we might expect one of the X-Men or something like that to wear! Modern soldiers have been known to draw Michael dressed in their uniforms, and carrying their weapons – and so pictures circulate of Michael as a British army soldier, a German tank commander, or an American Marine.
But, of course, there are also more traditional interpretations of Michael produced in the modern world – and we are lucky to have so many fine pieces of art from previous generations available for us to admire. As we look at all these various pictures and statues and stained glass windows, we should be thankful that the great Prince of the Heavenly Host and the general of Christ is still venerated today – even if some of the images are quite different from the ones we are used to seeing!