L'Apocalypse (Edition allemande) Saint Michel terrassant le Dragon (Bartsch 72), GDUT4124

St. Michael thrusts a long spear into the throat of a multi-headed beast while other angels attack with swords and a bow. Below the chaotic celestial combat, the earthly world appears serene, featuring a detailed town, a winding river, and distant mountains. This woodcut captures a moment of intense spiritual warfare, contrasting the monstrous, scaly forms of the dragon with the graceful, winged figures of the divine host.

As part of Dürer's 'Apocalypse' series, this work reflects the millenarian anxieties and spiritual intensity of the late 15th century. In the Western esoteric tradition, the battle between Michael and the dragon represents the triumph of solar, spiritual intelligence over the chaotic, 'chthonic' forces of the lower material world.