Saint Michael and the Dragon, from "The Apocalypse"

Saint Michael and the Dragon, from "The Apocalypse" by Albrecht Dürer, executed in 1498, is the tenth plate in the artist's seminal series illustrating the Book of Revelation. This powerful woodcut print is a landmark achievement that revolutionized the medium, demonstrating Dürer’s unparalleled capacity to create complex narrative drama and rich visual texture through linear work. Produced during the height of the German Renaissance, the series immediately cemented Dürer’s reputation across Europe and secured the woodcut's status as a respected art form.

The highly charged composition depicts the climactic moment described in the biblical prophecy where the Archangel Saint Michael descends to battle the massive, multi-headed Dragon. Saint Michael, flanked by a host of angels, dominates the central space, his dynamic pose and determined gaze embodying the triumph of divine order over chaos. The angels below wield long spears and shields against the serpentine beast, which writhes across the lower portion of the image. Dürer merges the intense spiritual fervor of the late-Gothic tradition with the sophisticated spatial and anatomical understanding newly emerging from Italian art.

The work’s technical brilliance is evident in the intricate detailing of the dragon’s scales, the feathers of the celestial army, and the dramatic interplay of light and shadow achieved solely through incision. The popularity of the Apocalypse series was instrumental in establishing the viability of prints for mass communication of sophisticated imagery. Saint Michael and the Dragon remains an iconic example of the printmaker’s art and is a significant piece within the comprehensive collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.