Spanish school; late 17th century."Saint Michael the Archangel".Oil on canvas.It presents faults and repainting on the pictorial surface.It has a 19th century frame.Measurements: 127,5 x 89 cm; 141 x 101 cm (frame).In this painting of purely baroque language, the archangel St. Michael is represented, dressed with armour, at the right moment in which he pierces the heart of the devil, who is supplicant under his feet. The impassivity of the saint's face, defined by soft and gentle forms, contrasts with the inhuman and malevolent expression of the defeated. This interplay of contrasts can also be seen in the tones used by the artist. These colours help to mark the dynamism of the scene, and give a certain emphasis to the movement of Saint Michael's clothes, which seem to be fluttering in the wind.The Archangels are the highest level of the Third Order in the angelic hierarchies, and are the only ones among them who have names. In the West, the Lateran Council (746) limited the number of archangels to three (Michael, Gabriel and Raphael), a circumstance that changed after the discovery in 1516 of a fresco in the church of San Angelo of the Carmelite order in Palermo in which the Trinity appeared with the seven archangels, which was reproduced (sometimes with variations) in numerous engravings, thus extending the iconography. Saint Michael the Archangel is a military saint, and therefore the patron saint of knights and of all trades related to arms, as well as to the scales, due to his role as an apocalyptic judge. His iconography is of considerable richness, but relatively stable. As a rule, he appears in the attire of a soldier or knight, holding a spear or sword and a shield decorated with a cross. When he fights the dragon, he fights on foot or in the air, which distinguishes him from Saint George, who is almost always on horseback. However, the main difference between the two saints is St Michael's wings.