Panel from a Triptych: The Archangel Michael
Filippo Lippi·1458
Historical Context
This 1458 panel depicting the Archangel Michael is one wing of a triptych by Fra Filippo Lippi, now partly in Cleveland and partly dispersed. Michael the Archangel — commander of the heavenly host, guardian of souls, and vanquisher of Satan — was one of the most important figures in Christian devotion, combining military virtue with spiritual protection. Lippi depicts him in armor with sword and shield, the traditional martial attributes that distinguished Michael from other angels. The panel demonstrates Lippi's characteristic combination of decorative surface richness — the elaborate armor, the angel's wings, the detailed throne — with a psychological warmth in the figure's expression that softens the martial imagery.
Technical Analysis
Lippi's tempera on wood panel features his refined Florentine draftsmanship with graceful contours and subtle tonal modeling, rendering the archangel's armor and wings with careful attention to decorative detail.
Provenance
Commissioned by Giovanni di Cosimo de' Medici, Florence, as a gift for King Alfonso V of Aragon (Alfonso I of Naples); Collection of King Alfonso V of Aragon (Alfonso I of Naples), Naples; Collection of Countess Sara Pacheco, Madrid; Purchased by Sir John Charles Robinson, Madrid, for Sir Fancis Cook, Soughty House, Richmond, Surrey; By descent to Sir Frederick Cook, Sir Herbert Cook, and their heirs; Rosenberg & Stiebel Inc., New York; The Cleveland Museum of Art
