St. George Killing the Dragon (1500s): Art, History and Details

St. George Killing the Dragon (1500s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Saint George’s legend was widespread throughout the Middle Ages. Warrior saints were particularly popular among the knightly class. Here Saint George is depicted as the consummate knight clad in gleaming plate armor as he slays the dragon, a symbol of evil. Such saints are frequently represented demonstrating their martial prowess by killing dragons or demons. For audiences familiar with the chivalric entertainments of their time, stories like those of Saint George held special appeal in representing the triumph of good over evil.

Object facts

• Title: St. George Killing the Dragon
• Date: 1500s
• Creator attribution: Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528)
• Culture: Germany
• Type: Print
• Technique: woodcut
• Dimensions: Sheet: 21.1 x 14.3 cm (8 5/16 x 5 5/8 in.); Mat Size: 48.9 x 36.3 cm (19 1/4 x 14 5/16 in.)
• Collection: PR - Woodcut
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1922.248

Collection credit

Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.