Saint George and the Dragon

Saint George and the Dragon is a renowned print created by Albrecht Dürer around 1504-1505. Executed using the woodcut technique, this work showcases the German Renaissance master’s unparalleled technical skill in handling a medium traditionally considered less refined than copper engraving. Dürer dramatically elevated the woodcut, imbuing it with sophisticated detail and complex pictorial effects previously unseen in the medium.

The subject centers on the legendary tale of Saint George, depicted as a quintessential Christian knight. Mounted upon a powerful horse, the saint confronts the fearsome dragon. Dürer renders the equestrian figure with classical proportions and dynamic movement, contrasting the horse’s controlled tension with the serpentine thrashing of the dragon beneath its hooves. The background landscape is densely rendered, using fine hatching and cross-hatching to create deep shadows and emphasize the dramatic confrontation in the center.

This piece is part of a broader body of highly successful prints produced by Dürer during the height of his career, allowing his iconic images to be distributed widely across Europe and establishing him as a crucial figure in the history of printmaking. The high quality and spiritual intensity of Dürer's images, such as Saint George and the Dragon, ensured their enduring appeal. This particular impression of the print currently resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. As a major Renaissance print, the work is frequently digitized and available today through public domain art collections, demonstrating its continued importance in art history.