Saint George and the Dragon

I must admit that medieval art never was my thing. Some masterpieces from the International Gothic style, however, are so charming that I can't resist them. Look at this dragon and at this decorative everything! I love it.

Bernat Martorell was the greatest painter of the first half of the 15th century in Catalonia in northeastern Spain. Depicted here is the most frequently represented episode from the popular legend of Saint George, in which the model Christian knight saves a town and rescues a beautiful princess (a perfect hero story). Conceived in the elegant, decorative International Gothic style, the painting was originally the center of an altarpiece dedicated to Saint George that was apparently made for the chapel of the palace of the Catalan government in Barcelona.

Here Saint George, on his white steed, triumphs over the evil dragon. A wealth of precisely observed details intensifies the drama. Dressed in an ermine-lined robe, the princess wears a sumptuous gilt crown atop her wavy red-gold hair. Her parents and their subjects watch the spectacle from the distant town walls. George’s halo and armor and the scaly body of the dragon are richly modeled. Beautiful.

P.S. Here you can see a very different depiction of Saint George and the dragon, one coming from the Eastern tradition. Compare them and decide which you like better.  :-)