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The beauty of The Archangel Michael sculpture

‼️ Everything written here is based on the group’s personal interpretation and extensive research made beforehand ‼️

1.  Description and Interpretation

The picture above is one of the many depictions of Archangel Michael found in the Philippines from the 17th century. This one, in particular, is carved from ivory, as can be seen in the lustrous shine of the sculpture’s features. The scene that is playing out here can be found in a passage of the Christian Bible, from Revelations 12, “And there was war in heavens: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.”

Who is Archangel Michael? He is often referred to as “Chief Prince” in the Bible as he heads a battalion of angels though God is still their leader (Lucey, 2022). He leads the angels in a victorious war against satan and evil during the end times, as written in the Bible. Therefore, one can imply that the sculpture aims to portray Michael in his fight against evil, which he is stepping upon. In this image, people familiar with the Christian Bible and its teachings associate the being below Archangel Michael as the embodiment of evil, emphasized by the serpent tail. Evil is portrayed as a serpent that can be seen on multiple occasions in the Bible e.g. in the temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden and in the book of Revelation (Dolansky, 2022).

2.  The unique formal features of the sculpture

The sculpture of Archangel Michael stepping on the serpent as seen above shows both symmetry and balance through opposition. The sculpture of Michael showed symmetry through the equal proportions from left to right. The size of the parts of the body, from head to feet is all of the equal size, and if one would put a line in the middle of the sculpture, they would find that both sides depict equal proportions. Elements of the classical period also showed in the calm facial expression and well-defined muscles of the sculpture. Classical elements also showed in the sculpture’s pattern of oppositions depicting good and bad, as well as movement and rest as seen in both Archangel Michael and the Devil.

Another thing that can be noticed is the scale of the embodiment of evil and the sword of Michael the Archangel. By making the man with the snake tail bigger than the rock under it with many kinds of forms, it elevates the emphasis of a snake as the main embodiment of evil. It tells us that evil comes in different forms but its true colors are of a snake. As for the sword, it could have easily been smaller than the one in the figure and if that was the case, it would look more like a dagger than a sword. By choosing a sword, it creates a bigger impact to the viewers as he is the captain of the angels making his presence more striking than with a dagger. Thus this creates a harmony for the overall figure and makes sure to the viewers that THIS IS NONE OTHER THAN MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL.

3. Its content and meaning

The sculpture depicts the Archangel Michael at the Day of Judgment as he stands on a serpentine demon with a sword raised in his right hand. The mass of the sculpture is made of ivory and in the space, it is held upright by two iron rods that go through the holes in the soles of the archangel’s feet, the demon’s torso, and into a gray marble base. In the central portion of the archangel, there is a hollow inner structure that was made of a single large tusk. The archangel is seen to hold up a double-edged sword with a wavy blade which is similar to a popular weapon in Southeast Asia, the Filipino callus blade. The sculpture's surface has painted and gilded decoration, adding detail to each feature of the archangel. On the skirted tunic, there is a painted inscription in a different language, however, its meaning still remains a mystery. On the boots, there are two cherub heads. The Cherubim are angelic figures mentioned in the Bible and are described as serving the will of God, performing divine duties in the earthly realm. (Christianity.com Editorial Staff, 2019). Lastly, the surface of the gray marble base was carved with a depiction of hell. It shows flames and two satyrs, one of which has lost its head.

Sources:

Dolansky, S. (2022, January 5). How the Serpent in the Garden Became Satan. Biblical Archaeology Society. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/bible-interpretation/how-the-serpent-in-the-garden-became-satan/

Lucey, C. (2022). Who Is the Archangel Michael?. Christianity.com. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/angels-and-demons/who-is-the-archangel-michael.html

The Archangel Michael. (n.d.). The Walters Art Museum. https://art.thewalters.org/detail/3509/the-archangel-michael/

Walters Art Museum (2021). Object Focus: Archangel Michael Ivory. www.youtube.com. Available at: https://youtu.be/D-rWHGqRDFw.

What is a Cherub? The Cherubim in the Bible. (2019, March 11). Christianity.com. 

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/angels-and-demons/what-is-a-cherub-the-cherubim-in-the-bible.html