Artwork
Saint George and the Dragon
Saint George and the Dragon is a tempera painting by the Early Renaissance artist Bernat Martorell. It dates from 1434 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
About this work
Overview
This tempera painting on panel depicts Saint George and the Dragon, a legendary scene from Christian hagiography.
Subject & Meaning
The artwork illustrates the story of Saint George, a model of Christian knighthood, rescuing a princess from a dragon. The scene is populated with numerous figures, including the king and queen watching from a rocky outcropping, and features a wealth of detail, such as bones and tiny creatures near the dragon's cave.
Technique & Style
The painting showcases Bernat Martorell's use of texture and decoration, with raised gesso used to model Saint George's armor and halo, as well as the dragon's scaly body. The sandy foreground is rendered with a granular texture, adding to the overall sense of realism and detail.
History & Provenance
The painting was the central panel of an altarpiece dedicated to Saint George, originally surrounded by four smaller narrative panels depicting the saint's martyrdom, now housed in the Musée du Louvre, Paris. It was likely commissioned for the chapel of the Barcelona palace of the government of Catalonia.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Bernat Martorell was the leading painter of Barcelona, in modern-day Spain. He is considered to be the most important artist of the International Gothic style in Catalonia. Martorell painted retable panels and…
