Spanish school; 17th-18th centuries.
"Saint George and the dragon".
Carved and polychromed wood.
It has slight faults in the polychromy.
Measurements: 45 x 30 x 11 cm.
Standing on a rectangular base, the male figure is on top of the dragon which is lying dejected on the ground. Saint George holds the lance in one of his hands, although he is not looking at his victim but in front of him. St George is a legendary saint. He is said to have been born in Cappadocia and was a Christian officer in the Roman army who one day passed through a city terrorised by a dragon demanding tribute from two young men; he slew the monster, saving the king's daughter from death and triumphing thanks to the help of Christ. According to some texts (including the Golden Legend), he only wounded the beast, which from then on became a tame animal faithful to the saint. St George died a victim of Diocletian's persecutions in Palestine: he survived the first tortures (burnt, crushed, boiled...) and was finally beheaded. His cult was always of great importance in Greece and Russia, and he was brought to Europe from this area thanks to the Crusades, becoming the patron saint of Genoa, Venice, Barcelona, the Teutonic Knights and England, as well as the patron saint of knights throughout the continent. Personifying the chivalric ideal, he is often depicted on horseback (which is often white), always wearing armour and holding a lance topped by a standard (more rarely a sword). The most frequent iconography is that of his fight against the dragon, especially from the 13th century onwards. Her importance also derives from the fact that she is a symbol of the victory of Faith over Evil. The princess is often shown praying, in the background, and there are also examples showing the city. It should be noted that her iconography resembles that of the Archangel Michael, but differs from the latter in particular in the absence of wings on her back.