St Michael's Victory over the Devil is a 1958 bronze sculpture by Sir Jacob Epstein, displayed on the south end of the east wall outside of the new Coventry Cathedral in Coventry, England. The sculpture is positioned above the steps leading up from Priory Street to the cathedral's entrance, beside the stained glass baptistry window designed by John Piper. The cathedral itself is dedicated to St Michael.
The sculpture symbolises the victory of good over evil. It depicts a winged angel with a spear, standing with arms and legs spread above the bound figure of a horned devil lying supine. The statue stands approximately 25 feet (7.6 m) high, with the angel's wings spanning 23 feet (7.0 m). For the face of the angel, Epstein made busts of his daughter Kitty's two husbands, Lucian Freud and Wynne Godley, and selected Godley as his model.
Epstein was first asked to produce a maquette, a small model about 18 inches (46 cm) high. He made several preliminary studies in plasticine and bronze, and had begun work on the main sculpture by the time his commission was formally approved in 1957. Reportedly, some members of the cathedral reconstruction committee objected to Epstein being commissioned, with one complaining "But he is a Jew," to which the architect Basil Spence responded "So was Jesus Christ."
The sculpture was one of the last major works of art completed by Epstein before his death on 21 August 1959. It was cast in bronze and unveiled at the cathedral in 1961 by Epstein's widow, Kathleen. A 53.6 cm (21.1 in) high bronze maquette was sold at Christie's in 2014 for £15,000; one maquette now resides in the chapel of Wesley House, Cambridge.
