Artwork Page for St. George Killing the Dragon

Details / Information for St. George Killing the Dragon

St. George Killing the Dragon

1500s

Albrecht Dürer

(German, 1471–1528)
Culture
Germany
Medium
woodcut
Measurements
Sheet: 21.1 x 14.3 cm (8 5/16 x 5 5/8 in.); Mat Size: 48.9 x 36.3 cm (19 1/4 x 14 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1922.248
Catalogue raisonné
Meder 225
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Saint George’s legend was widespread throughout the Middle Ages. Warrior saints were particularly popular among the knightly class. Here Saint George is depicted as the consummate knight clad in gleaming plate armor as he slays the dragon, a symbol of evil. Such saints are frequently represented demonstrating their martial prowess by killing dragons or demons. For audiences familiar with the chivalric entertainments of their time, stories like those of Saint George held special appeal in representing the triumph of good over evil.
A vertically oriented woodcut in black ink depicts a knight in detailed armor and a plumed helmet atop a horse rearing toward our right. Centrally, he thrusts a long spear vertically into the open mouth of a dragon lying beneath the horse's hooves. A human skull and bone rest on the ground. In the distant left background, a small figure stands amidst rolling hills; a monogrammed block sits in the lower right.

St. George Killing the Dragon

1500s

Albrecht Dürer

(German, 1471–1528)
Germany

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