description St. Michael Fighting the Dragon Overview
St. Michael Fighting the Dragon is a woodcut made by Albrecht Dürer in 1498 for his Apocalypse series. It illustrates a scene from the Book of Revelation in which the Archangel Michael and other heavenly forces confront a seven-headed dragon. The print combines a crowded religious narrative with precise line work, dramatic movement, and dense tonal patterning, demonstrating the expressive possibilities of late fifteenth-century German woodcut.
help St. Michael Fighting the Dragon FAQ
What biblical scene does Dürer’s St. Michael Fighting the Dragon show?
The 1498 woodcut illustrates the Archangel Michael and other heavenly forces confronting the seven-headed dragon from the Book of Revelation. Dürer fills the scene with figures to emphasize the scale of the apocalyptic conflict.
Which Dürer series includes St. Michael Fighting the Dragon?
It belongs to Dürer’s Apocalypse series, a group of 15 woodcuts based on Revelation. The series was published in 1498 in both German and Latin editions.
Why does the dragon have seven heads?
The seven heads come from the apocalyptic imagery of Revelation and identify the creature as a symbolic enemy rather than an ordinary animal. Dürer translates that text into a crowded woodcut with strong directional movement toward the battle.
How does Dürer use the woodcut medium in this image?
Woodcut allowed him to create bold black masses, sharp outlines, and dense cross-hatching suitable for a dramatic crowd scene. The technique also made the Apocalypse images reproducible for a broad audience in the late fifteenth century.
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