Artwork
Saint George and the Dragon
Saint George and the Dragon is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Giuseppe Scolari. It dates from 1600 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Giuseppe Scolari’s woodcut Saint George and the Dragon, dated to around 1600, depicts a dramatic encounter between a mounted knight and a serpentine monster.
Giuseppe Scolari’s woodcut Saint George and the Dragon, dated to around 1600, depicts a dramatic encounter between a mounted knight and a serpentine monster. Rendered in stark black‑and‑white, the image captures the moment the knight thrusts his sword upward while the dragon coils around a female figure on a craggy shore, set against a backdrop of swirling lines that heighten the sense of turmoil.
Subject & Meaning
The composition illustrates the legendary Christian martyr Saint George confronting a dragon that threatens a woman, a motif symbolizing the triumph of faith over evil. The presence of the vulnerable figure emphasizes the protective role of the saint, while the turbulent surroundings reinforce the narrative’s moral conflict between virtue and chaos.
Technique & Style
Executed as a woodcut, the print relies on carved wooden blocks to receive ink, producing bold contrasts between light and dark. Scolari’s use of sharp, intersecting lines and deep shadows creates a sense of movement and tension, a characteristic approach in early 17th‑century printmaking that maximizes visual impact within the medium’s limited tonal range.
History & Provenance
Created at the turn of the 17th century, the work reflects the period’s interest in religious iconography rendered for broader distribution. While specific ownership records are scarce, the print has been catalogued among Scolari’s oeuvre and appears in collections of early modern European prints, illustrating the artist’s engagement with popular devotional themes.
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