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Giuseppe Scolari

Saint George and the Dragon

1570/1600
Woodcut on ivory laid paper

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Saint George and the Dragon is a story from The Golden Legend , a popular collection of tales about saints’ lives written in the 13th century. During his travels, Saint George came upon a land distressed by the presence of a dragon. Each day the dragon demanded the sacrifice of a beautiful maiden. With his sword, the saint overtook the dragon and killed it. As a religious parable, the dragon represents evil or paganism. Thick contours and vigorous contrasts between black and white, characteristics of the woodcut medium, emphasize the mood of anguish and distress.

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