Kopf des Erzengels Michael

Ercole de' Roberti, one of the most distinctive painters of the Ferrarese school, created this head of the Archangel Michael around 1494. Ercole succeeded Cosmè Tura and Francesco del Cossa as court painter to the Este family in Ferrara. His intense, emotionally charged style and angular, expressive figures represent the culmination of the Ferrarese Renaissance tradition. This work belongs to the High Renaissance, when the innovations of the preceding century were synthesized into works of monumental clarity and ideal beauty.

Oil on panel with the sharp, incisive drawing characteristic of the Ferrarese school. The archangel's features display the angular intensity and emotional concentration that define Ercole de' Roberti's distinctive manner.