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Saint George and the Dragon
Paolo Uccello · Renaissance & Mannerism
- Artist
- Paolo Uccello (1397–1475)
- Date
- c. 1470
- Dimensions
- 57 x 73 cm
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Location
- National Gallery, London, United Kingdom
This small painting tells the legend of Saint George, who rescued a princess from a dragon that terrorised a city. On the right, the knight on a white horse drives his lance into the monster; on the left, the princess calmly holds the beast on a leash.
A closer look
The story is told with fairy-tale charm. The dragon, with patterned green wings and a curling tail, emerges from a dark cave; the princess, elegant in a pink gown, has tied her belt around its neck, as the legend says she would lead it into the city. A storm gathers in the sky as a swirling cloud above the saint, as if God were helping him. The grass is laid out in neat geometric patches, showing Uccello's love of perspective. It is one of the earliest Italian paintings on canvas rather than wood.
