St. George and the Dragon is a small cabinet painting by High Renaissance Italian artist Raphael, painted between 1504 and 1506, and now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. The saint wore a blue garter of the Order of English Garter, which reflected this decoration in 1504 to the patron Raphael Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, by King Henry VII of England. The first word of the order's motto, "HONI" can be made. The painting may have been commissioned by Duke, either to present to the British envoy who brought regalia to Urbino, Sir Gilbert Talbot, or to Henry himself - a recent scholarship showing the latter. The rewards paid to a small Italian ruler reflect Henry's appreciation of the prestige of the Italian Renaissance culture as much as any diplomatic destination.
Traditional subjects, Saint George and the Dragon, combine chivalry and Christianity, suitable for the occasion; like his father, Guidobaldo was a condottiero, or the owner of a group of mercenaries. In the early stages of his career, Raphael painted a number of small cabinet paintings, including others in St. Louvre, and the Vision of a Knight at the National Gallery in London..
Video Saint George and the Dragon (Raphael)
Provenance
In 1627 the painting belonged to William Herbert, the 3rd Earl of Pembroke (1580-1630), and was at Wilton House in Wiltshire. Either the 3rd or 4th earls are presented to King Charles I of England. After the British Civil War it was sold in one of Royal Collection's sales at Somerset House in London on December 19, 1651. Soon after in France. The painting was later highlighted by the collection of Pierre Crozat obtained through the mediation of Diderot by Catherine II of Russia in 1772. For a century and a half, the panel hung in the Imperial Hermitage Museum. It is one of the most popular paintings in the entire Tsar collection. In March 1931 it was part of the sale of Soviet Hermitage paintings, and bought by Andrew Mellon, as part of his donation to the National Art Gallery in Washington DC This and other basic artworks, including paintings by Jan van Eyck, Sandro Botticelli, and Titian , helping to place the National Gallery among the most significant Renaissance art collections.
Maps Saint George and the Dragon (Raphael)
References
- NGA page
Further reading
- Pitman, Joanna (2006). Dragon Traces . New York: The touchstone. ISBN: 9780743265133.
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