Peter Candid

Born in the Netherlands, Candid spent most of his early life in Florence, where he was active as a painter and tapestry designer. In 1586, he moved to Munich, joining the cohort of international artists working for Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria. This drawing served as a preparatory study for a print commemorating the foremost architectural project in the city at this time—the construction and decoration of Saint Michael’s Church. It reproduces one of the building’s principal façade elements, a large bronze sculpture representing the archangel Michael defeating the devil. Composed of layers of delicate gray wash and dense areas of hatching, the drawing successfully conveys both the sculpture’s intricate surface detail and its overall monumental effect.