About the Artwork
Notice the Archangel Michael’s sweeping golden robe, sharply twisted curls of hair, and the powerful contrast between his calm face and the grimacing Devil. It’s rare for a sculpture of this date to retain its original paint and gilding. This statue stood in the chapel of Harburg Castle for over 500 years. For the prominent knightly family who owned the castle, Saint Michael served as a protector and example of ideal knighthood.
Saint Michael Vanquishing the Devil
ca. 1480
The Master of the Altarpiece of the Order of the Swan Knights
15th century
German
Unknown
Limewood with well preserved polychromy
Overall: 64 15/16 × 26 × 15 3/4 inches (165 × 66 × 40 cm)
Sculpture
European Sculpture and Dec Arts
Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund, with funds from the Visiting Committee for European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
2020.1
This work is in the public domain.
Markings
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Provenance
about 1480-1731, Counts zu Oettingen-Oettingen, Chapel of St. Michael, Burg Harburg (Harbug, Bavaria, Germany)
1731, by descent to the Counts (later Princes) zu Oettingen-Wallerstein, Chapel of St. Michael, Burg Harburg (Harbug, Bavaria, Germany)
1991, by descent to Moritz, 8th Prince zu Oettingen-Wallerstein [b. 1946], Chapel of St. Michael, Burg Harburg (Harbug, Bavaria, Germany)
about 2000-2020, sold to (Alexander Rudigier Ltd., London, England)
2020-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:
Provenance pageExhibition History
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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
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Suggest FeedbackPublished References
"Detroit Institute of Arts adds works to Native American collection, new works by women artists," Artdaily. Accessed on [November 4, 2021]. https://artdaily.cc/news/131545/Detroit-Institute-of-Arts-adds-works-to-Native-American-collection--new-works-by-women-artists#.YYQ0NWDMKUm.
Weniger, Matthias. “Saint Michael from Harburg Castle and Workshop Practices in Early Renaissance Southern Germany,” Bulletin of the DIA 95, no. 1 (2021): pp. 20-39; (ill. fig. 1) p. 20; (ill. fig. 4-5a) pp. 24-25; (detail fig. 8) p. 27; (fig. 11a, 12a, 14a, 15a) pp. 30-31.
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Credit Line for Reproduction
attributed to The Master of the Altarpiece of the Order of the Swan Knights, Saint Michael Vanquishing the Devil, ca. 1480, limewood with well preserved polychromy. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund, with funds from the Visiting Committee for European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, 2020.1.
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