The Seven Archangels (M 034; Engraving) Notebook

In this engraving of heaven by Hieronymus [Jerome] Wierx from c. 1600, the focus is on the Archangels. + At the top of the image are the Holy Trinity with symbols of the Evangelists (centre); the Blessed Virgin Mary with SS. Peter and Paul (left); and, SS. John the Baptist, Stephen the ProtoMartyr, and Lawrence of Rome (right). The size of these figures is not indicative of theological importance. Rather, their reduced size is a function of composition in perspective that indicates a great distance between figural groups in the picture plane and emphasizes the Archangels as the focal point of the artwork. + The Seven Archangels, their names inscribed in their haloes, are depicted with their attributes. Reading from left to right, the Archangels are as follows: St. Raphael (“God Heals”) bears an apothecary’s jar and holds the hand of the youth Tobias who carries a fish. With a salve made from fish guts, St. Raphael healed Tobias’s father of blindness and his future wife from possession by a demon. Uriel (or Ariel; “God Is My Light”) wields a sword. He may have expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden after The Fall. A flame burns at his feet. St. Gabriel (“Strength of God”) is usually portrayed with a spray of lilies. Here, however, he carries a lantern that bounces light off a mirror of jasper. The lantern symbolises the Word of God; and, the mirror of jasper--a mineral with occlusions that nevertheless takes on a reflective sheen when polished—symbolises our flawed understanding of God’s nature. In the centre, a tall, armour-clad St. Michael (“Who Is Like God?”) carries a battle standard and palm of victory. He crushes Lucifer in the guise of a dragon underfoot. Sealtiel (“Prayer for God”), here with eyes raised, folds his hands in prayer in front of his chest. Jehudiel (“God’s Justice”) carries a crown and a scourge (the heavenly equivalent of a carrot and a stick). And, finally, Barachiel (“God’s Blessings”) holds out a fold of his mantle filled with flowers for strewing or dispensing. + The engraving was inspired by two Biblical passages--Apoc. 1:4 and Psalm 137:1-2--that appear in Latin beneath the image on the original print (not visible here). + Joint Feast of SS. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael: September 29 + Image Credit (M 034): Antique Flemish Northern Renaissance engraving of St. Michael and Archangels (The Seven Archangels), by Hieronymus [Jerome] Wierx, originally published with privilege by Piermans, Antwerp, Belgium, c. 1600, from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951, 51.501.6402. Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.