Saint Michael

Miguel Ximénez's Saint Michael from the Prado represents the Aragonese school of late fifteenth-century Spanish painting, which developed under strong Flemish influence through the trade networks connecting the Crown of Aragon to Bruges and Antwerp. Michael — the archangel who defeats Satan in the Book of Revelation — was among the most visually compelling of all saints, offering painters the opportunity to depict celestial armor, dramatic combat, and demonic forms beneath the warrior-angel's feet. Ximénez's panel reflects the Spanish taste for brilliant color and heraldic precision in the rendering of armor and wings.

Saint Michael stands in shining armor, wings spread, with Satan or a dragon beneath his feet. Ximénez renders the armor with Flemish metalwork precision and uses vivid color — reds, golds, blues — for maximum heraldic impact. The wings are carefully feathered in layered gradations of color.