769. ST. MICHAEL AND THE DRAGON.
(Umbrian: 1416-1492). See 665.
Formerly ascribed to Fra Carnovale (Bartolommeo Corradini); but between Piero della Francesca's angels in 908 and the figure of St. Michael here there is a close resemblance, which seems to identify the picture as his.
St. Michael, the angel of war against the dragon of sin, stands triumphant over his foe—emblem of the final triumph of the spiritual over the animal and earthly part of our nature. It is the most universal of all symbols. The victor is different in different ages, but the enemy is always the same crawling reptile. Christian art, from its earliest times, has thus interpreted the text, "The dragon shalt thou trample under feet" (Psalm xci. 13); and in illustrations of Hindoo mythology Vishnu suffering is folded in the coils of a serpent, whilst Vishnu triumphant stands like St. Michael, with his foot upon the defeated monster.