Tuscan School Artist, Saint George and the Dragon, 18th Century, Oil Painting on Canvas, Framed

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Tuscan school, 17th-18th century

saint george and the dragon

oil on canvas

66 x 50 cm - framed 92 x … Read more Tuscan school, 17th-18th century

saint george and the dragon

oil on canvas

66 x 50 cm - framed 92 x 76 cm.

the interesting painting we present illustrates the victory over the dragon by saint george, a noble christian knight. His amazing adventure, imbued with symbolic meaning in the struggle between good and evil, has always been a favorite theme in art.

"one day he arrived in the kingdom of silene, plagued by the presence of a terrible dragon, whose destructive power could only be contained by human sacrifice. It was the 'soldier of christ' who slew the dangerous beast and saved the sovereign's daughter from the monster's jaws." (from the golden legend, jacopo da varazze)

in our painting, saint george, both saint and knight, is captured in the moment of his triumph over the dragon, impaling it with his spear. He is depicted according to traditional iconography, on horseback, dressed in shining armor and a plumed helmet, his blue cloak billowing in the wind. In the background, the terrified princess prays for his salvation.

the attribution of the work falls within the sophisticated panorama of tuscan painting, specifically between the late 17th and early 18th centuries, a period in which local workshops reworked the great renaissance tradition through a theatrical, dynamic, and chiaroscuro lens.

the graphic imprint reveals that our painter, presumably active in florence, trained and drew inspiration from leonardo da vinci's models, especially for the vibrant anatomical rendering of the horse.

a large number of leonardo's drawings and preparatory studies of horses in battle have survived, representing the pinnacle of his research into the dynamics of movement, warlike fury, and animal anatomy. Many of these were created as preparation for the battle of anghiari, the famous fresco commissioned in 1503 for palazzo vecchio in florence, which was subsequently lost (image 1 - detail).

the steed is, in fact, the true fulcrum of the painting, displaying powerful, tense muscles, with bent forelegs suspended in mid-air and a thick mane blowing in the wind that accentuates the sense of movement.

leonardo also explored this theme in sculpture. For example, compare the "knight on a rearing steed" (image 2 - early 16th century; bronze, budapest, szépmuveszéti museum) to note the identical pose of both horse and rider, confirming the inspiration for his creations from the artist of the canvas exhibited here.

additional information:

the work is beautifully framed and comes with a certificate of authenticity and guarantee. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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