Thursday, August 19, 2004

The Praying Princess

The princess saved from the dragon, Katharinenkirche, St. Catherine's Church, Lübeck

The princess saved from the dragon
Katharinenkirche (St. Catherine's Church)
Lübeck, May 2003

“The main group is 3.75 metres (12.3 ft) tall, and stands on a wooden plinth that makes the total height c. 6 metres (20 ft). The scale of the sculpture is larger-than-life. It depicts St. George on horseback, fighting with the dragon. The saint has pierced the dragon with his lance, which is broken, and has drawn his sword and holds it aloft to strike the dragon. The dragon is reeling under the attack but has managed to pierce the horse with one of its claws, and the horse is rearing. On the ground, baby dragons peer out from cavities and the ground is littered with human bones. The plinth of the main sculpture displays eight panels on which the legend of St. George is related. The subsidiary sculpture depicts the princess in seemingly serene prayer. Saint George, likewise, is not looking at the dragon but his gaze is piously focused in the distance. Jan Svanberg notes that the sculpture as a whole is characterised by ‘realism in its execution and idealism in its perception’.” (Saint George and the Dragon, Wikipedia)

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