Why it matters
The archangel Michael and his angels drive Lucifer and the rebel angels out of heaven, and as they fall from the sun they turn into a tumbling mass of grotesque, half-human creatures. The painting shows Bruegel's profound debt to Hieronymus Bosch, so much so that it was once attributed to Bosch.
Did you know?
- It was painted in 1562.
- The subject comes from Revelation 12.
- Bruegel also drew on artists such as Dürer and Frans Floris.
Based on the Wikipedia article The Fall of the Rebel Angels (CC BY-SA 4.0).
