St. George and the Dragon
Dublin Core
Title
St. George and the Dragon
Description
In this painting Carpaccio depicts a ruthless dragon and the attempt to fend it off. The threat of the creature is underscored by the grisly half-eaten torsos, one of a nude man whose genitals are mostly left, and one of a still-collared woman, barebreasted. Miscellaneous skulls and bones are strewn all along the foreground of the picture under the full horizontal group of mounted saint, transfixing lance, and dying dragon. The rescued Princess of Trebizond stands much less conspicuously in the background behind the saint. The half-eaten woman pulls the princess into a visual antithesis.
In this we recognize the master of the fine and well-known pictures of St. George. The dragon is shown here over-
come though still powerful, while in the others
it raises itself in unfettered fury against horse
and rider. Even apart from the beauty of
its coloring, this monster is unique, with its
clean outline and ornament and with its strange
wings reminding us at once of the fantastic forms
of flames and of those of seaweed. This painting truly brought out the imagination and creativity of Carpaccio.
Carpaccio's cycle in the Scuola di San Giorgio, Venice, depicts the legend of George as a soldier who travelled to Libya where a dragon was terrifying the populace. The people of Libya appeased the monster's fury by offering it every day a youth or maiden selected by lot. Eventually the king's only daughter was picked, but George, mounted on his horse, armed himself with the sign of the Cross and gave the beast a grievous wound, forcing it to the ground. The maiden's girdle was then tied around the dragon's neck, and it followed her, like a dog on a leash, back to the city. The king and all the people were baptized into Christianity, and George slew the dragon.
In this we recognize the master of the fine and well-known pictures of St. George. The dragon is shown here over-
come though still powerful, while in the others
it raises itself in unfettered fury against horse
and rider. Even apart from the beauty of
its coloring, this monster is unique, with its
clean outline and ornament and with its strange
wings reminding us at once of the fantastic forms
of flames and of those of seaweed. This painting truly brought out the imagination and creativity of Carpaccio.
Carpaccio's cycle in the Scuola di San Giorgio, Venice, depicts the legend of George as a soldier who travelled to Libya where a dragon was terrifying the populace. The people of Libya appeased the monster's fury by offering it every day a youth or maiden selected by lot. Eventually the king's only daughter was picked, but George, mounted on his horse, armed himself with the sign of the Cross and gave the beast a grievous wound, forcing it to the ground. The maiden's girdle was then tied around the dragon's neck, and it followed her, like a dog on a leash, back to the city. The king and all the people were baptized into Christianity, and George slew the dragon.
Creator
Vittore Carpaccio
Source
Image: Vittore Carpaccio. c. 1504-07. Duel of Saint George with the Dragon. painting. https://library.artstor.org/asset/SCALA_ARCHIVES_1039488938.
Image Rights: (c) 2006, SCALA, Florence/ART RESOURCE, N.Y.
Scholarly Article: Cook, Albert. "CARPACCIO'S ANIMALS." The Centennial Review 27, no. 4 (1983): 224-43. Accessed September 8, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23739724.
Article 2: Gronau, Georg. "An Unknown Work by Vittore Carpaccio." The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 44, no. 251 (1924): 59-65. Accessed September 8, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/862109.
Book: George, saint1998. , https://login.proxy.lib.duke.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.proxy.lib.duke.edu/docview/2267107878?accountid=10598 (accessed September 8, 2020).
Image Rights: (c) 2006, SCALA, Florence/ART RESOURCE, N.Y.
Scholarly Article: Cook, Albert. "CARPACCIO'S ANIMALS." The Centennial Review 27, no. 4 (1983): 224-43. Accessed September 8, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23739724.
Article 2: Gronau, Georg. "An Unknown Work by Vittore Carpaccio." The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 44, no. 251 (1924): 59-65. Accessed September 8, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/862109.
Book: George, saint1998. , https://login.proxy.lib.duke.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.proxy.lib.duke.edu/docview/2267107878?accountid=10598 (accessed September 8, 2020).
Publisher
Image and original data provided by SCALA, Florence/ART RESOURCE, N.Y.
Date
1504 - 1507
Contributor
Jared Kreis
Format
Oil on Canvas
141 x 360 cm
141 x 360 cm
Type
Oil Painting
Coverage
Scuola di S. Giorgio degli Schiavoni (Venice, Italy)
Collection
Citation
Vittore Carpaccio, “St. George and the Dragon,” ARTHIST 89S - Visual Culture of Venice - Fall 2020, accessed October 22, 2026, https://venice.dahvc.org/fall-2020/items/show/11.