Saint George and the Dragon (Rubens)
Saint George and the Dragon | |
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Oil on canvas | |
Dimensions | 309 cm × 257 cm (122 in × 101 in) |
Location | Museo del Prado, Madrid |
Saint George and the Dragon is a painting by Peter Paul Rubens (c. 1605–07), based upon the motif with the same name.
It was painted in
Iconography
In the painting the princess represents the church as a whole, and the terrified lamb to whom she offers refuge represents the innocence and purity of Jesus Christ, the "Lamb of God", and Saint George and his steed symbolize the triumph of good over evil as Saint George prepares to strike the beast from “on high”. Saint George's right foot prominently highlighted above the dragon signifies that the dragon (darkness, devil, evil) is in every way beneath Saint George and the light that envelops him and the princess. In opposition, the dragon's form resembles a serpent, rather than the typical lizard, or dinosaur-like depiction of dragons, an allusion to the biblical account of Adam and Eve, wherein Satan takes the form of a serpent.
Notes
- ^ "Saint George and the Dragon". Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
External links
Media related to Saint George and the Dragon by Rubens at Wikimedia Commons