This sheet is compositionally close to Guido Reni's The Archangel St. Michael of 1635 in the Roman church of "Santa Maria della Concezione". There are certain differences, however, and the drawing is not a straightforward copy after Reni. It has certain Algardian characteristics, particularly in the drawing of the saint's legs and face, and in the handling of the chalk in the fringe of his sleeve. One might compare it with his Louvre drawing of A Warrior Saint, in which the hair is even parted in the middle in the identical manner.
A second drawing of St. Michael in the Kunstmuseum, Dusseldorf, was accepted by Jennifer Montagu and Catherine Johnston as a copy by Algardi after Reni's painting. According to Monatagu, this sheet dates to c. 1647, when the artist was planning a small bronze of the identical subject (San Michele in Bosco). This drawing was previously considered a preparatory study for Reni's painting. Here Algardi has primarily altered the pose of St. Michael, who stands more erectly in the drawing, in a manner similar to that of the bronze statuette.
Provenance: M.G. Anckarsvärd ; A Michaelson ; K. Michaelson ; S. Josephson ; Acquired by the museum in 1896[Bjurström, It. Drawings, cat. no. 1288]