Rossetti’s

Story of St. George and the Story of St. George and the DragonDragon

Laura AndersonLaura Anderson

“How word came to the King of Egypt touching a certain dragon that ate much fold and must needs be fed with a noble damsel to stay his maw.”

The King

The Queen

The PrincessThe man with the basket of skulls

The man with the picture of the dragonThe

villagers

In the medieval legend, the terrible dragon demanded two children from a certain city each day to eat. The people cast lots to decide on which children to give, and finally the lot fell to the Princess Sabra.

Usually only one image of St. George, the patron saint of England, Venice, and Ferrara, is depicted—that of him slaying the dragon. This, however, is the first of six of Rossetti’s plans for stained glass windows.

Rossetti’s drawings are dated around 1861-1862, during his “Arthurian” period.

Emphasis on hair texture

Heraldic designs

“A decorative insistence and a desire for filling up space” (332)

“How the damsels of the court cast lots who should be the dragon’s meat and how the lot fell to the king’s daughter.”

The woeful maiden

The woeful court damsels

“How the damsels of the court cast lots who should be the dragon’s meat and how the lot fell to the king’s daughter.”

Texture detail of clothing

Detail on sleeves, hair, belt

Wood detail

“How the woful Princess was borne to be eaten of the dragon.”

The Princess

The soldiers

The townspeople

Head bowed in submission, arms tied across chest

Woeful, yet dutiful

Detail on medieval armor

Detail on carriage

Fewer details in background

As you might imagine, a design this complex would be difficult to duplicate on a stained-glass window. This difficulty may account for why Rossetti produced so few window designs.

St. George and the Princess Sabra

The Wedding of St. George and Princess Sabra

The Sermon on the Mount

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/british_galls/audio_tales/stgeorge_dragon/index.html