“Saint George”
Today, a painting depicting the famous encounter between Saint George and a dragon.
“Saint George”, sometimes referred to as “Saint George and the Dragon”, is an oil on wood painting by the Italian Renaissance artist, Raphael, made between circa 1503 and 1505. This was created as a companion piece to the painting, “Saint Michael”. They were part of a series of miniature panels made for the Urbino court. The two paintings are currently held together at the Louvre Museum.
In this piece, Saint George is depicted in full armor sitting atop his horse. His right arm is raised as he is about to swing his sword at a dragon. A broken lance is piercing the dragon’s heart, with the other pieces of the lance strewn on the ground under the horse. In the back left, a princess, Princess Sabra in tradition, can be seen running away. The story of Saint George and the dragon was not popularized until the Middle Ages.
This painting was commissioned early on in Raphael’s short career. He had only recently been declared a master in 1501. A small painting, 11 x 12 inches, it was commissioned by Duke Guidobaldo da Montefeltro of Urbino, who had recently become knighted by the King of England into the Order of the Garter. Saint George is the patron saint of this order. In 1505, Raphael would paint the subject of Saint George for the second and last time, with only slight differences. Later on, he painted a much larger version of “Saint Michael.”
Saint George was born sometime in the third century in Cappadocia in modern day Turkey. He was of Greek descent, born into a Christian family, and moved with his mother to Greece after his father’s death. In Greece, he joined the Roman army. As legend has it, he was traveling through the city of Silene in modern day Libya, which was being terrorized by a dragon. The king was a pagan, and the dragon demanded human sacrifices. The king’s daughter, Princess Sabra, was chosen by the people and gifted to the dragon. Just before the dragon ate the king’s daughter, George came across the situation. With the help of God, he slew or tamed the dragon, depending on the version. The people were so grateful, many of them became baptized in the Christian faith. During a widespread Christian purge by Emperor Diocletianin 303 AD, Saint George was arrested in Genoa, Italy, tortured, and then beheaded because of his Christian faith.
“Saint George” is currently on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
For more on Raphael, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
