St. George and the Dragon in Visual Art
A sampling of the familiar story
Somewhere along the way you’ve probably heard the legend of Saint George, who’s often depicted in visual art as a chivalrous knight (he was especially popular among the Crusaders) rescuing damsels in distress from a fierce, serpent-like dragon.
St. George was a Cappadocian warrior saint and martyr who was beheaded for his faith in the early fourth century. One of the most renowned figures in the history of the Christian church, he is revered all over the world—the patron saint of Ethiopia, England, Georgia, Portugal, and Venice, among other places.
The fairy tale-esque story of the dragon-slaying was famously recorded in The Golden Legend, a collection of writings about saints that was published in 1483 by the Archbishop of Genoa, Jacobus de Varagine, and was later printed in English by Wiliam Caxton:
'Then said Saint George: Fair daughter, doubt ye nothing hereof for I shall help thee in the name of Jesus Christ. She said: For God's sake, good knight, go your way, and abide not with me, for ye may not deliver me. Thus as they spake together the dragon appeared and came running to them, and S. George was upon his horse, and drew out his sword and garnished him with the sign of the cross, and rode hardily against the dragon which came towards him, and smote him with his spear and hurt him sore and threw him to the ground. And after said to the maid: Deliver to me your girdle, and bind it about the neck of the dragon and be not afeard. When she had done so the dragon followed her as it had been a meek beast and debonair.' (– The Golden Legend)
As a powerful, universal motif of good battling (and triumphing over) evil, the legend of his dragon-slaying has remained popular among artists across time and place.
In this post you’ll find a thorough and yet still far from exhaustive sampling of works that depict the famous narrative. As you can see, they range widely from stylized to naturalistic, dramatic to whimsical, traditional to modern. Note especially the spiritual allegory suggested in each, and the unique ways the setting and subjects are portrayed.
Which of these versions do you find the most compelling? Let me know in the comments!
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Thank you for several new renditions of St. George I was unfamiliar with.
I was glad you included a plate from our favorite St. George and the Dragon book. My kids wore ours out, and our grandchildren have several others in tatters. They pour over the pictures and sit through the rather adult rendition of the story! A true classic!
They are all so beautiful! I was most surprised by the Kandinsky and the Dali and loved seeing them in the mix!