St George

This is my version of St George and the Dragon, one of the most famous Russian icons of St George, painted in the early 15th century by an unknown painter from the School of Novgorod. These painters preserved Byzantine traditions painting icons and wall murals.They were active from the 12th to the 16th centuries, influenced by Theophanes The Greek. Novgorod at that time was surrounded by Mongols who had invaded Russian territory, so Novgorod artists tried to preserve what remained of traditional Russian culture.

The original Byzantine painting is 820 x 630 mm, painted with egg tempera on panel in the early 15th century. It is now kept in the  Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.

“In 1911, the owner of this icon, I. S. Ostroukhov, had it “professionally” restored. The restorer Baranov, as was customary at the time, made numerous “fill-ins” on the saint’s cheeks and neck, completely removed the original gold background and the icon “hillocks” and instead of them painted the brownish layer of the earth, thus changing the composition of the icon and its overall impact according to his fancy.” (Alexander Boguslawski)

The original painting of St George and the Dragon by an unknown painter from the 12th century School of Novgorod.