The Fall of Satan - Barry, James (Irish painter, printmaker, and lithographer, 1741-1806, active in England) (The Tate Gallery, 1983)
The Triumph of Michael
'Barry dedicated this print to the dean and chapter of St Paul's, who had approved the Royal Academicians' plan to decorate the cathedral with history paintings. It is meant to show what had been lost because of the misguided opposition of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London, who had blocked the scheme citing England's longstanding bias against religious imagery. At the same time the subject is itself a comment on how such prejudices should be overcome. On one level, then, it represents the militant artist scourging the errors of an unenlightened, hostile society.' (Pressly, 75)
Keywords: Art, Irish; Etching 18th century; Aquatint 18th century; Michael (Archangel) Art.; Devil in art; Allegories; 18th century