Paolo Uccello - Saint George and the Dragon [c.1470]

Paolo Uccello - Saint George and the Dragon [c.1470], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

This picture shows two episodes from the story of Saint George: his defeat of a plague-bearing dragon that had been terrorising a city; and the rescued princess bringing the dragon to heel (with her belt as a leash). In the sky, a storm is gathering. The eye of the storm lines up with Saint George's lance, suggesting that divine intervention has helped him to victory. Uccello (c.1397-1475) uses the lance to emphasise the angle from which Saint George attacks the dragon, helping to establish a three-dimensional space. The strange patches of grass illustrate Uccello's obsessive concern with linear perspective and his tendency to create decorative pattern.

[National Gallery, London - Oil on canvas, 55.6 x 74.2 cm]