Art Institute of Chicago

Saint George and the Dragon

Guiseppe Scolari

Date

1570/1600

Medium

Woodcut on ivory laid paper

Culture

Italy

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Saint George and the Dragon is a story from The Golden Legend , a popular collection of tales about saints’ lives written in the 13th century. During his travels, Saint George came upon a land distressed by the presence of a dragon. Each day the dragon demanded the sacrifice of a beautiful maiden. With his sword, the saint overtook the dragon and killed it. As a religious parable, the dragon represents evil or paganism. Thick contours and vigorous contrasts between black and white, characteristics of the woodcut medium, emphasize the mood of anguish and distress.

The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.