Saint George and the Dragon

CultureAustrian

Dateca. 1500

MediumWood with paint

DimensionsOverall: 70 3/4 × 27 × 15 inches (179.71 × 68.58 × 38.1 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: acquired through the bequest of Ida C. Robinson

Object numberF60-45

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Collections

European Art

Terms

Exhibition History

N/A

Gallery Label

This elegant, late Gothic representation of Saint George was removed from a large altarpiece which included other figures of Saints Peter, Wolfgang, and Nicholas; the altarpiece, formerly in the church of Donnersback near Steiermark, Austria, was dismantled and dispersed in the 1950s. The upraised right forearm has been obviously lost, along with the knight's lance. The figure is nonetheless an impressive one and an excellent example of Austrian sculpture at the beginning of the 16th century, before the full impact of the Renaissance had reached a fairly provincial locale such as Steiermark. Characteristic features are the saint's fleshy face, elaborate ringlets, mannered pose and decoratively crumpled drapery.

Provenance

Ägydiuskirche, Irdning-Donnersbachtal (formerly Donnersbach), Styria, Austria, ca. 1500-December 15, 1955;

Purchased from the Ägydiuskirche by Pro Arte, Salzburg, Austria, December 15, 1955-1960 [1];

Purchased from Pro Arte, through the bequest of Ida C. Robinson, by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1960.

NOTES:

[1] The sale is recorded in the parish record book: “Hl. Georg Statue. In der PfKR Sitzung v. 15.12.55 wurde geschlossen, die im Messnerzimmer stehende Statue des hl. Georg um S. 10.000 zu verkaufen, da die Reparaturkosten sehr hoch kämen und für dringende Bedürfnisse kein Geld vorhanden vor“ [“St. George Statue. At the parish council meeting of December 15, 1955, it was decided to sell the statue of St. George that was kept in the sacristan’s room for the sum of 10,000 schillings, as the repair costs would have been very high and there were no funds available for urgent needs”]. See emails from Erich Landl, Municipal Council Secretary, Donnersbach, Austria, to Dr. Kurt Rossacher, Pro Arte, July 17, 2003, and from Christian Forstner, theology student and organist at the Ägydiuskirche, to MacKenzie Mallon, Head, Provenance, February 19, 2026, Nelson-Atkins curatorial files.

Published References

Erwin Hainisch, Die Kunstdenkmaler Österreichs: Oberösterreich, 3rd ed. (Vienna: Verlag Anton Schroll, 1956), 34.

The Art Quarterly 23, no. 4 (Winter 1960): 402, (repro.).

“Saint George,” Bulletin (The Nelson Gallery and Atkins Museum) vol. 3 (Spring 1961): 11, (repro.), as Saint George.

Gallery Tour Booklet for Docents (The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Department of Education) (August 1969): 48, as Saint George.

Marilyn Stokstad, “Romanesque and Gothic Art,” Apollo 96 (December 1972): 490-91, (repro.), as St. George.

Ross E. Taggart and George L. McKenna, eds., Handbook of the Collections in The William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, Kansas City, Missouri, vol. 1, Art of the Occident, 5^th ed. (Kansas City, MO: William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, 1973), 70, (repro.), as Saint George.

Dorothy Gillerman, Gothic Sculpture in America, vol. 2, The Museums of the Midwest (Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols, 2001), 204, (repro.), as Saint George and the Dragon.

Norbert Jopek, German Sculpture, 1430-1540: a catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum (London: Victoria and Albert Publishers, 2002), 76, (repro.).

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.