Saint George and the Dragon
1435 — Washington, D.C.Saint George and the Dragon is a small c. 1432-35 oil-on-wood panel by the Early Netherlandish painter Rogier van der Weyden, held at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. It depicts the Christian martyr Saint George impaling a dragon, while Princess Cleodolinda watches and kneels in prayer. The background consists of a contemporary Belgian walled city and castle in the distance. The realism typically found in Early Netherlandish art is blended with elements of fantasy as seen in the fantastical cliff beneath the castle. The use of light and reflections, particularly from Saint George's black armour, indicates Jan van Eyck's influence. Painted on a small 14.3 by 10.5 centimetres (5.6 in × 4.1 in) panel and set into a slightly larger 15.2 by 11.8 centimetres (6.0 in × 4.6 in) panel, the painting may have been intended as a devotional piece or part of a now-separated diptych. Art historians estimate that it was executed sometime in the early to mid-1430s.
Subject
Saint George, dragon