Art Institute of Chicago

Saint George

Alfred Gilbert (English, 1854–1934)

Date

Cast 1899

Medium

Bronze

Culture

England

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This intricate statuette is composed of around 20 separate pieces. Its subject is Saint George, the patron saint of England, known for slaying a dragon. Clad in fantastical, skin-tight armor, he stands atop a stylized base that alludes to the vanquished dragon’s body. Saint George was designed by Alfred Gilbert to adorn the lavish tomb for Queen Victoria’s grandson Prince Albert Victor, who died prematurely in 1892. The queen personally installed the first version of the sculpture at Windsor Castle in 1898. Gilbert had this bronze replica produced a year later to sell to a private collector.

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