Saint Michael Fighting the Dragon

Saint Michael Fighting the Dragon by Albrecht Dürer, executed between 1496 and 1498, is a pivotal work in the history of German Renaissance prints. This powerful woodcut belongs to Dürer’s renowned fifteen-plate series illustrating the Book of Revelation, often simply called the Apocalypse. Produced near the end of the 15th century, during the period 1401 to 1500, this ambitious project cemented the artist's reputation across Europe.

The composition depicts the Archangel Michael, armed and armored, descending dramatically from the heavens to confront the serpentine, seven-headed dragon of the Apocalypse. Michael is surrounded by angels fighting subsidiary demons, creating a sense of dynamic spiritual warfare. Unlike earlier approaches to printmaking, Dürer treated the wood block with the detail and complexity usually reserved for copperplate engraving. The masterful use of line, cross-hatching, and dramatic shading demonstrates Dürer's commitment to transforming the often-crude woodcut medium into an expressive art form capable of narrative depth and monumental scale.

The widespread distribution of these innovative prints across Europe significantly amplified Dürer’s influence and solidified the visual language of the apocalyptic narrative for generations. This German cultural landmark reflects the intense spiritual anxieties prevalent at the turn of the century, illustrating how religious texts were interpreted through contemporary artistic innovation. The original print is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, offering an essential example of the artist’s mastery. Today, due to the work’s age and historical significance, high-resolution images of Dürer’s Saint Michael Fighting the Dragon often enter the public domain, ensuring broad access to this influential early effort in printmaking.