Spanish school; 18th century.

Spanish school; XVIII century.
"Saint George and the dragon".
Carved and polychrome wood.
Slight lack of polychrome. The sword is missing.
Measurements: 33 x 12 x 12 cm.
Raised on a rectangular base, the male figure is on the dragon lying dejected on the ground. St. George holds the spear with one of his hands, although he is not looking at his victim but in front of him. St. George is a legendary saint. It is said that he was born in Cappadocia and was a Christian officer of the Roman army who one day passed through a city terrorized by a dragon that demanded tribute from two young men; he killed the monster, saving the king's daughter from death and triumphing thanks to the help of Christ. According to some texts (among them the Golden Legend), he only wounded the beast, which became from that moment on a tame animal faithful to the saint. St. George died a victim of Diocletian's persecutions in Palestine: he survived the first tortures (burned, crushed, boiled...) and was, in the end, beheaded. His cult was always of great importance in Greece and Russia, and 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 armor and holding a spear 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. Its importance also derives from being a symbol of the victory of Faith over Evil. Often, the princess is shown praying, in the background, and there are also examples in which the city is shown. It should be noted that its iconography resembles that of the Archangel Michael, differing from the latter, above all, in the absence of wings on the back.