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About This Work
Michael is depicted in classical armor and a shield bearing a red cross, subduing a multi-headed beast representing the devil. The background reveals a hellish panorama featuring the burning City of Dis and various demons tormenting human figures. This early work by Raphael emphasizes the dramatic struggle between celestial order and infernal chaos through complex, imaginative landscape details.
The artwork is significant for its direct visual engagement with Dante Alighieri’s 'Inferno', particularly in its depiction of the City of Dis and the specific punishments of the damned. It represents the Renaissance effort to harmonize Christian theology with vivid, narrative-driven cosmographies of the afterlife.