Bronze St. George the Dragon Slayer Statue

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When creating the fresco of Pippo Spano of Legnaia, Andrea del Castagno, another Italian painter, referred to Saint George by Donatello for inspiration and guidance. Pippo Spano of Legnaia was a military commander from Florence who was viewed as an embodiment of fearlessness and boldness. Unlike the statue of St. Mark, the statue of St. George does not stand in contrapposto. Instead, both legs are clearly supporting the saint’s weight, although the front of his left foot is not completely planted on the ground, but instead partially hangs off the front of the base. The purpose of the stance that Donatello gave to St. George was to suggest stability and immobility; he is not supposed to be interpreted as moving, but instead, as stable and unmoveable. This is a defensive posture.

Another memorable quote was by Francesco Bocchi in the 16th century. The legs move, the arms are ready, the head alert, and the whole figure acts; by virtue of the character, the manner and form of the action present to our eyes a valiant, invincible, and magnanimous soul. Influence Bažant, Jan. "St. George at Prague Castle and Perseus: an Impossible Encounter?" (PDF). Studia Hercynia. XIX (1–2): 189–201. The dragon motif was transferred to the George legend from that of his fellow soldier saint, Saint Theodore Tiro. [14] Ettlinger, Helen S. "The Question of St George's Garter." The Burlington Magazine 125 no. 958 (January 1983): 25-29.Allegedly, Donatello sculpted St. George as he was thought to have been just moments before encountering and slaying the dragon. He appears deep in thought; his expression is slightly hesitant, yet determined and fearless. Johns, Jeremy (2017), Bacile, Rosa (ed.), "Muslim Artists and Christian Moels in the Painted Ceilings of the Cappella Palatina", Romanesque and the Mediterranean, Routledge, ISBN 9781351191050 , note 96 Whatley, E. Gordon, editor, with Anne B. Thompson and Robert K. Upchurch, 2004. St. George and the Dragon in the South English Legendary (East Midland Revision, c. 1400) Originally published in Saints' Lives in Middle English Collections ( on-line text: Introduction). New Ballad of St. George and the Dragon (EBBA 34079)". English Broadside Ballad Archive. National Library of Scotland - Crawford 1349: University of California at Santa Barbara, Department of English . Retrieved 31 January 2016. {{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: location ( link)

Einstein, Lewis. Looking at Italian Pictures in the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1951: 58-60, repro. Mattia Preti, St George triumphant over the dragon, 1678, at St. George's Basilica, Malta in Victoria, Gozo.

Donatello's Orsanmichele second of fourteen statues of protectors of the arts of Florence is not only a treasure but also a gem that has been significant in art over the years.

Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. New York, 1963 (reprinted 1964 in French, German, and Spanish): 130, repro. The earliest certain example of the "detailed" form may be a fresco from Pavnisi (dated c. 1160), although the examples from Adishi, Bochorma and Ikvi may be slightly earlier. [25] Samantha Shannon describes her 2019 novel The Priory of the Orange Tree as a "feminist retelling" of Saint George and the Dragon. [39] Heraldry and vexillology [ edit ] Coats of arms [ edit ] St. George was the patron saint of the armorer’s guild and was known as a military figure, one who was well-known in the Byzantine East, but who was also known by the Crusaders who battled Muslim forces in the Holy Land. A popular tale involving St. George defeating the dragon came to be known through the collection of stories called the Golden Legend ( Legenda Aurea) in the late thirteenth century. Aufhauser, Johannes B. (1911), Das Drachenwunder des Heiligen Georg: nach der meist verbreiteten griechischen Rezension, Leipzig, B.G. Teubner

The Golden Legend narrative is the main source of the story of Saint George and the Dragon as received in Western Europe, MacDermott, Mercia (1998). Bulgarian Folk Customs. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. pp.64–66. ISBN 978-1-8530-2485-6. In this example, at least, there appear to be two snakes with separate heads, but other examples of 10th-century Cappadocia show polycephalous snakes. [4] Jacobus (de Voragine) (1900), Caxton, William (tr.) (ed.), "Here followeth the Life of S. George Martyr", The Golden Legend: Or, Lives of the Saints, Dent, vol.3, p.126

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Only the Latin version involves the saint striking the dragon with the spear, before killing it with the sword. [18] Warner, Elizabeth (2002). Russian Myths. University of Texas Press. pp.67–68. ISBN 978-0-2927-9158-9. It is difficult to make comparisons between Donatello's work and that of his contemporaries because Donatello's style and technique were so far ahead of his time. No other sculptor before or since has accomplished such an astonishing and graceful fusion of two distinct styles, the Renaissance and the International Gothic styles.

Our cultural heritage needs to be looked after by people who are qualified and trained. We need to know our heritage as throughly as possible to protect it, and we need to be alert. The alarm in this case was raised by somebody in the town telling us what had happened.” Like all of Donatello's works and the majority of biographical information about Donatello himself, there is very little information regarding how the St. George was initially received. However, it is known that the statue occupied its niche in the Orsanmichele for many years, and surely it would not have if it were not an honored and highly prized piece of art. The National Gallery of Art and Its Collections. Foreword by Perry B. Cott and notes by Otto Stelzer. National Gallery of Art, Washington (undated, 1960s): 24-25, color repro. 13. One of Donatello’s long-standing relationships was with the Medici family: from 1433 to 1443, he made decorations for San Lorenzo, the Medici Church. This commission included ten large reliefs in colored stucco and two sets of small bronze doors. In this period, he also created the bronze statue of David (ca. 1440), the first large scale free-standing nude statue of the Renaissance. Documents show that the statue was placed at the center of the Medici Palace courtyard in 1496.

Iconographic representations of St Theodore as dragon-slayer are dated to as early as the 7th century, certainly by the early 10th century (the oldest certain depiction of Theodore killing a dragon is at Aghtamar, dated c. 920). [7] Besides being the titular statue of a parish in Victoria, the statue is in many ways a living relic of a people’s faith. It is not only an aristic treasure; it is the coining of the very faith that the people of Gozo have expressed throughout more than a century and a half. Eventually, the king's daughter was chosen as a sacrifice. This, of course, was seriously upsetting to the king, and he sought a way to stop it. The town granted him eight days to find a solution. Gloria a Giorgio, immortal cavaliere’… a taste of heaven as the statue appears at the bronze portals of St George’s basilica for its annual procession. Photo: Daniel Cilia Depictions of "Christ militant" trampling a serpent is found in Christian art of the late 5th century. Iconography of the horseman with spear overcoming evil becomes current in the early medieval period.