Aartsengel Michaël doodt Satan en weegt een ziel

About this artwork

Linksboven ontbreekt een gedeelte van het keurvorstelijk wapen door een beschadiging van het houtblok.

Art Historical Context

**Archangel Michael Slays Satan and Weighs Soul** *Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1506, woodcut on paper, 244 × 144 mm* This vivid woodcut by Lucas Cranach the Elder a dramatic moment from Christian iconography: the Archangel Michael triumphantly spearing the dragon-like Satan while psychopomp-like figures assist in weighing a soul on divine scales. Created in 1506, early in Cranach's career court artist to the Electors Saxony, it reflects the Northern Renaissance's fascination with moral and apocalyptic themes drawn from the Book of Revelation. At just 24 cm tall, the intimate scale made it ideal for devotional use in homes or churches during a time of religious fervor in early 16th-century Germany. Cranach's mastery of woodcut technique shines here, with bold lines and intricate details conveying motion and hierarchy—Michael's armored dynamism contrasts the writhing Satan below. The upper left features the electoral coat of arms of Saxony, symbolizing noble patronage, though a woodblock damage has left it partially missing, adding a poignant note on the artwork's fragility. This print exemplifies Cranach's shift toward narrative clarity and proto-Reformation humanism, bridging late Gothic traditions and emerging Protestant sensibilities. A testament to faith and judgment, it invites visitors to ponder eternal struggles amid Renaissance innovation.