Madonna and Child and St. John the Evangelist and St. Michael
Technical Details
-
Title
Madonna and Child and St. John the Evangelist and St. Michael -
Author
Giovanni Ambrogio Figino -
Year
1588 -
Dimensions
cm 314 x 175 -
Inventory
477 -
Room
XV
The painting’s loose composition is built on counterpoint. A Virgin with strong, plain features watches unmoved on a throne of clouds as St. Michael defeats the Devil, whom we glimpse in the right-hand corner. St. John, whose face has given Figino a place among Caravaggio’s Lombard forerunners, looks at the Virgin but points to the struggle between the Archangel and Satan which he was to describe in the Apocalypse, a perfect subject for a venue that was more political than religious.
