Madonna mit hl. Michael

Garofalo depicted the Madonna with Saint Michael around 1520, pairing the Virgin and Child with the archangel warrior who defeated Satan. Michael's role as protector made him a natural companion to the Madonna in devotional imagery. The painting is in the Bavarian State Painting Collections The Madonna and Child was the most ubiquitous devotional subject of medieval and Renaissance art, present in every church and many private homes as a focus for prayer and spiritual contemplation.

The composition groups the devotional Madonna and Child with the martial archangel in a balanced arrangement. Garofalo's warm Ferrarese palette and Raphaelesque figure types create a harmonious devotional image.