Early Cretan School A monumentally large & very early ic...

Estimate

£150,000 - £200,000

Early Cretan School
A monumentally large & very early icon of St. George
c. 1460 - 1480

From a Distinguished Collection

Dimensions:
27.5 in (H) x22 in (w)

Lot Essay:
This work is a very early example of the Cretan School style of iconography c. 1460-1480.

Here, we see a monumental depiction of the story of St George and the dragon as it was written by Jacobus de Voragine in Legenda Aurea in the 1260s. In this icon we see St George, lance in hand, poised upon his horse over a three-headed dragon which he has just struck and wounded having made the Sign of the Cross. In the lower right stands the diminutively sized princess dressed as a bride; she has been chosen by lot as one in a succession of youth-sacrifices made to the beast in order to prevent it from attacking the city, Silene (thought to be in Libya). The princess leads the beast with her girdle tied around its neck like a leash.

The detail, especially in the figures (top-left), on such a large scale in addition to the high state of preservation and the early date make this icon a rare and exceptional example of a popular iconographic motif.