St. George on Horseback Slaying the Dragon

Art Historical Context

Lucas Cranach the Elder’s woodcut *St. George on Horseback Slaying the Dragon* captures one of Christianity’s most enduring legends. The saint, armored and mounted, drives his lance into the fearsome beast at his feet, symbolizing the victory of faith over evil. Though the exact date remains unknown, the image reflects the enduring popularity of this story in Northern Europe during the Renaissance and Reformation eras. Cranach, a leading German artist of the early sixteenth century, was both painter and prolific printmaker. Woodcuts like this one allowed religious imagery to reach wide audiences at modest cost. The compact sheet—roughly the size of a small devotional card—demonstrates the medium’s crisp lines and dramatic contrasts, qualities that made prints an essential vehicle for spreading ideas and devotion across Reformation Germany. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum in 1923, the work highlights Cranach’s skill in distilling a dramatic narrative into a few bold forms. Its presence in the museum’s print collection invites visitors to consider how such accessible images once brought sacred stories into everyday life.

About the Artist

Lucas Cranach the Elder · 1472–1553

Lucas Cranach the Elder (c. 1472-1553) was one of the most prominent German Renaissance painters and a key artistic figure of the Protestant Reformation. Born in Kronach, Franconia, to the painter Hans Maler, Cranach began his career in Vienna around 1502, where he became one of the founders of the Danube School, a movement characterized by expressive landscape painting and emotional force. His ea...