Sadeler Engraving after Maarten de Vos – Saint Michael and the Dragon, 16th C.

Saint Michael the Archangel defeating the dragon

Design by Maarten de Vos (Antwerp, 1532 – 1603)

Engraving by Johannes (Iulius) Sadeler I (Brussels, 1550 – Venice?, ca. 1600)

Copper engraving, late 16th century.

The work depicts Saint Michael the Archangel in antique armour, holding the palm of martyrdom in his left hand and a sword in his right, as he subdues and tramples the apocalyptic dragon. The sky is filled with angel heads, emphasizing the celestial and triumphant nature of the scene.

Inscriptions:

• lower left: Martin de Vos figuravit
• center: Tetrius hoc nihil est, nil principe pulchrius illo: sic sit amore sui, sic sit amore Dei.
• lower right: Iulius Sadeler excudit

Condition: margins preserved and not trimmed to the plate mark, old laid paper with some areas slightly thinned but without losses, with a fine original patina.

This burin engraving, based on the invention of the Flemish master Maarten de Vos, belongs to the important devotional prints produced in Antwerp and Venice at the end of the 16th century. The Sadeler family, among the most renowned engravers and publishers of the late Renaissance, widely disseminated such religious images across Europe, combining monumental clarity with strong devotional appeal.