Post on 31-Dec-2015
transcript
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