St. Michael and the Dragon 1470

Antonio del Pollaiolo’s painting, St. Michael and the Dragon, was made in the late 15th century with oil on wood. While the subject matter is elevated, the rendering of the scene depends on an incredible amount of skilled labor. Look closely at the saint’s armor, the dragon’s scales, and even the delicate feathers of Michael’s wings. Each of these elements is carefully painted. Though the painting is on a wood panel, Pollaiolo gives it the illusion of metal and feather, creating a striking contrast between hard and soft textures. Pollaiolo, trained as a goldsmith, brought an acute sense of materiality to his paintings. The way light interacts with surfaces, and the painstaking process of bringing scenes to life, are indicative of the amount of skill involved in making an artwork like this. It is a potent reminder that artistic genius is often deeply connected to the skilled labor of craftspeople.