Saint George

A reproduction in a smaller scale of the original St. George & the Dragon, at the Church of Saint George (sv. Jurij), Ptuj , Slovenia

Original statue

Idealized statue of St. George belongs to the very top of the Gothic sculpture in Slovenia. It was created in 1380. St. George is depicted in almost natural size, at the moment when he kills the dragon with a spear.

He is victoriously standing over the defeated, but not yet dead, winged dragon with a snake’s body and the wolf’s head. The ‘George cross’ is painted on the chestboard of the armor, as it is also in the Ptuj city’s coat of arms.

http://www.prostija-ptuj.si/index.php/o-nas/sveti-jurij
https://discoverptuj.eu/prostijska-cerkev-sv-jurija-na-ptuju/

The story of St. George

St. George was a military tribune within the Roman army under Diocletian (“Knight of Cappadocia”), who he rebelled against when the Emperor ordered the arrests of all Christian legionaries.

According to a legend of the Crusades, the dragon wove a nest at the wellspring supplying the city of Selena. If the citizens wanted to get some water, they needed to outwit it and entice it somewhere else with a sacrificial lamb and if they had no lamb, they sacrified a virgin. One day it happened that the lot fell to the princess and the king begged in vain for her life. Then by chance, the traveller George came by and fought the dragon, using his cross during the fight. He defeated the dragon and rescued the princess. To show their gratitude, the citizens abandoned paganism and accepted Christianity.

St. George was symbolically a warrior against paganism and at the same time one who fought for good against evil. He was also the patron saint of chivalry and one of the major saints of the knighthood. His fame spread all over Europe.

The reproduction

Master sculpt was sculpted in polymer clay Super Sculpey and Apoxie Sculpt.
Casts are done in Urethane Resin and hand painted with Acrylic Paints.
The height of reproduction is 32 cm.