St. George and the Dragon

c. 1530s

Francesco Salviati

(Italian, 1510–1563)

Culture

Italy, 16th century

Medium

black chalk with red chalk, stumped

Support

Cream(3) laid paper, laid down on cream(3) laid paper

Measurements

Sheet: 30.3 x 43.2 cm (11 15/16 x 17 in.); Secondary Support: 43.3 x 55.1 cm (17 1/16 x 21 11/16 in.)

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund 1992.60

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Location

Not on view

Description

According to a legend based on Greek myth, as Saint George passed through Libya, he rescued a king’s daughter who had been left as a sacrifice to placate a vicious dragon. In gratitude for being delivered from the monster’s tyranny, the king’s subjects converted to Christianity. Here George wears armor in the ancient style based on Roman sculpture. Classical armor in Renaissance art was reserved for elite male subjects as a sign of their virtue. As a military saint, George’s attire conveys his antiquity as an early Christian hero (died about AD 303), conferring on him a sense of Roman authority and gravity.