The Mariapfarr St. George Fresco: Lower Half
Friedrich of Villach
Circa 1421
Fresco
Pfarrkirche Mariapfarr (Parish Church in Mariapfarr, Austria)
This is a typical image of St. George subduing the dragon, with the princess to one side and the king and queen waiting apprehensively within the city walls. In the Golden Legend the saint does not immediately slay the dragon. Rather, he knocks it to the ground, as here, and has the princess use her belt as a leash to lead the dragon into the city. The fresco illustrates both the leash and the road to the city. For some reason not explained by anything in the Golden Legend, a young man just outside the city gate takes the leash from the princess.
The date and attribution to Friedrich of Villach is from Grove, I, 625.
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Photographed at the site by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.