St Michael

The small size of this virtuoso carving of St Michael, the Archangel and its silver base and staff suggest it was probably intended for a treasury, although the fact that it is relatively unworked at the back indicates it may have been fixed in a setting, rather than having been a freestanding figure. The similarity of the armour to certain Catalan works implies it may be from Catalonia.

The archangel Michael is the first of the angels. He is often represented in armour with a sword and standing over or fighting with a dragon or he is shown with scales. God sent him to overcome Lucifer and he is also regarded as the angel of the Resurrection. He would receive the souls of the dead weighing them in his balance.