St. George and the Dragon - Edward Burne-Jones

A dramatic depiction of the classic legend of Saint George, rendered in the distinct, poetic style of Edward Burne-Jones.

This work depicts the legendary encounter between Saint George and the dragon, a subject that occupied Edward Burne-Jones during the mid-1860s. The composition focuses on the physical struggle, with the knight clad in polished plate armour, his sword poised to strike the beast. The dragon, rendered with dark, reptilian scales, occupies the lower foreground, creating a sense of immediate tension. In the background, a solitary figure stands in the distance, providing a quiet contrast to the violent action occurring in the foreground.

Burne-Jones, a central figure in the later Pre-Raphaelite circle, often drew inspiration from medieval romance and Arthurian legend. His approach to this subject avoids the theatricality found in earlier academic depictions. Instead, he employs a flattened sense of space and a muted, earthy colour palette that emphasises the decorative quality of the scene. The armour reflects the light in a controlled manner, demonstrating the artist's attention to material texture. The landscape remains secondary to the figures, serving as a stage for the narrative rather than a realistic environment. This painting reflects the artist's interest in the aesthetic qualities of early Italian painting, particularly the work of Mantegna and Botticelli, which he studied during his travels. The figures possess the elongated, melancholic proportions characteristic of his mature style, moving away from the strict naturalism of the early Pre-Raphaelite movement toward a more symbolic and poetic interpretation of myth. The work was originally conceived as part of a series for the dining room of Birket Foster at Witley, Surrey, intended to complement the domestic interior with scenes of chivalric virtue.