British Collection Highlights:

Caerleon Figure

The alabaster figure was found at Caerleon in Monmouthshire and given to the Ashmolean by Capt. M. Bird in 1693. It dates to the fifteenth century and depicts the archangel, St Michael.

St Michael was a popular saint in the medieval period and would have been a common image depicted in churches. He was a symbol of justice and a protector against evil. The figure is feathered and in his left hand he holds a pair of scales- the scales of Justice. His right arm is now missing but it probably held a spear or sword with which to slay a dragon. The beast may have been depicted below St Michael, as seen in other representations.

It is possible to see the original entry for this figure was recorded in the Ashmolean's Book of Benefactors.

The figure is on display in the 'Ark to Ashmolean' gallery on the lower ground floor.

Click to enlarge

Caerleon Figure (Click to enlarge)

Alabaster figure of St Michael, 15th century (AN1685.639(A28))

Further Information

Hildburgh. W.L. 'An English Alabaster Carving of St Michael Weighing a Soul', The Burlington Magazine, 89, 530 (1947), 129-131.

For information about later medieval religion see:

Duffy, E. ‘Late Medieval Religion’, in R. Marks and P Williamson, eds., Gothic Art for England 1400-1547 (London: V&A Publications, 2003), 56-67.

Aston, M. ‘The Use of Images’, in R. Marks and P Williamson, eds., Gothic Art for England 1400-1547 (London: V&A Publications, 2003), 68-7

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Eleanor Standley
January 2012