
Saint Michael the Archangel
Heaven's field marshal, painted in the same courtier-and-arquebus grammar as his militia.
- Work
- Oil on canvas
- Artist / creator
- Cusco School (anonymous)
- Origin & date
- Peru (Cuzco), 18th century
- Held by
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Format
The full-resolution scan — yours to print, study, and keep.
Size
$24.00
The story
Michael is traditionally shown mid-combat — sword raised over a defeated devil — more often than he is shown at parade rest like his militia siblings, which makes an arquebusier-format Michael a genuine hybrid: the tradition's most senior archangel, folded into the same invented-militia costume built for lesser-known names like Eliel or Asiel.
As the archangel scripture and tradition already treat as heaven's commander, giving him the militia uniform makes an implicit argument: that the whole angel-wall genre imagines heaven organized exactly like a viceregal army, with Michael simply outranking the rest.
About this reproduction
- • Faithful reproduction of a public-domain work, sourced from Philadelphia Museum of Art, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)’s open-access release.
- • Printed to order on EMA matte art paper, 200gsm. The heirloom frame is gold, under acrylic, with no mount.
- • Color-managed to the source scan.
- • Ships in 5–9 business days; satisfaction guarantee.
From the same collection

Archangel Eliel with Harquebus
A noble in plumed hat and lace collar, musket shouldered like a courtier's cane.

The Archangel Salamiel with a Musket
Winged, armed, and dressed for a viceroy's court — the militia of heaven, Andean-style.

Archangel Josiel
From the angel-wall of Uquía, high in the Argentine Andes — the militia's southern outpost.