Russian school, first half of the 16th century. "Saint George slaying the dragon". Tempera on panel.

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RUSSIAN ICONS

By Setdart Auction House

Sep 23, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-09-23 10:00:00 2021-09-23 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : RUSSIAN ICONS https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/setdart-auction-house/russian-icons-7431
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• Lot Description
  Russian school, first half of the 16th century. "San Jorge slaying the dragon". Tempera on panel. Measurements: 35,5 x 31 cm. The legend of Saint George is one of the most recurrent passages in Christian literature and iconography. The first mentions of Saint George as a martyr appear as early as the 5th century, and are initially limited to a specific territory: Cappadocia (the legend says it was his birthplace), Nicomedia and Diospolis (Lydia). According to the earliest versions of hagiography, George suffered torture at the hands of the Persian king Dadian; this figure was later replaced by the historical figure of Emperor Diocletian. In the period after the iconoclastic period, around the 11th century, the story of George's numerous tortures was supplemented by a developed cycle of miracles. It is believed to have been created mainly in Eastern monastic circles. The most popular of the miracles, "The Miracle with the Dragon", is the one depicted on our icon in the central square. This legend dates back to the oral tradition of the 8th century; it is not recorded in manuscripts for the first time until the 12th century. However, these dates may vary in different historical sources. In Russia, the cult of St George began to gain popularity around the 11th century, coinciding with the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. The iconography of the auctioned icon depicts St George with all the attributes of a warrior martyr, including the crown of palms being brought down from heaven by an angel, an unusual and therefore curious detail. The symbolism of St George slaying the dragon dates back to early Christian beliefs, which form the basis of practically the whole of Christianity, of the struggle between good and evil. Towards the end of the 15th century the iconographic prototype began to be enriched with new details, such as angels, the representation of the Pantocrator, architectural motifs and the maiden. The icon of interest recounts one of the most legendary passages from the life of St. George. According to Christian tradition in general, this miracle happened after the saint's death. There are different versions of the miracle, the traditional one relates, that in a lake near a certain city, a dragon settled and destroyed the city with its poisonous breath. The ruler of this pagan city invoked the gods and they advised him to sacrifice a young man or woman to the beast every day. The ruler promised that if the fate befell his only daughter, he would share the fate of the other victims. When his turn came, he was led to the shore of the lake, where the monster lived. Suddenly a rider on a white horse appeared, and pounced on the snake that had emerged from the lake. He pressed the monster's larynx to the ground with his spear, and the horse began to trample it with its hoofs. Then the warrior ordered the maiden to put a girdle on the subdued snake, and take it to the town. The townspeople, seeing the beast led like a docile dog, stood still in amazement. St. George then explained to them that he had defeated the serpent by the power of Christ. In gratitude for what had happened, the inhabitants were baptised. In compositional terms, the icon has certain characteristics typical of Orthodox icon painting. The saint appears in the foreground, larger than all the other figures, and he also marks the hierarchy. The architectural motifs are painted in reverse perspective, showing the viewer the buildings from both above and below, in order to provide maximum information about the scene. The icon is striking for its wide range of colours and the great detail achieved by this anonymous painter.
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