Saint George and the Dragon (Notke)

It is attributed to Bernt Notke and was commissioned by the Swedish regent Sten Sture the Elder.

The statue was commissioned by Sten Sture the Elder following his victory over the Danish army in the Battle of Brunkeberg in 1471.

[1] The symbolism of the sculpture can be interpreted in religious and political terms and as a funerary monument over the person Sten Sture.

[1] Notke's monument apparently fulfilled these different roles simultaneously; Jeffrey Chipps Smith relates that the figure of St. George was removed from the horse and carried in a procession to the site of the battle (just outside Stockholm) on 10 October annually (the date of the battle) to celebrate the victory and give praise to St.

[2] A portrait attributed to Bernt Notke depicting the Swedish King Charles VIII, today in Gripsholm Castle, may possibly originally have been part of the Saint George and the Dragon group.

[1] The sculpture is mainly made from oak wood,[5] but Notke has also made unconventional use of a variety of materials in the sculpture: metal, leather, human hair, imprints of coins and jewels, string, parchment and for the spikes of the dragon, elk antlers.

[8] The Grove Encyclopedia of Northern Renaissance Art gives the following summary: "With its bizarre overall silhouette (with many gaps), its effect heightened by rich decoration, the main group is a carving of mythical power".

[7] The sculpture also inspired numerous other contemporary (albeit less elaborate) wooden depictions of the same subject in Sweden, Finland and Germany.