"Late 16th Cty, Nüremberg , Alms Dish St George Slaying The Dragon"
HAUTE EPOQUE Late 16th century (or early 17th)
Rare embossed and chiseled brass alms dish, depicting in its centre a frequent and popular religious thema: St George slaying the dragon: St George, on horseback pierce the fearsome monster with his spear.
The scene is framed by a medieval architectural tower on the left, and a kneeling Princess with her hands clasped in prayer on the right.
Facing left, it is unusually facing the Princess, located in the upper right corner. The King and Queen do not appear on this representation either.
A circular band with an inscription in Gothic letters appears to mention "Ich warte geluk alzeit" frames the main scene, which can be translated to "I protect you, I pray for your good fortune"
Nüremberg Workshops(Germany)
Used condition and very nice patina overall, no restorations or cuts
Diameter 40 cm
Weight 976g
"Saint George is the allegory of the victory of Faith over the Devil, the latter being represented in the last book of the Bible or Revelation in the form of a dragon. He is distinguished from Saint Michael because in the iconography the archangel is winged.
According to ancient legend, a dragon infested a lake in Silenus, a city in Libya. After the sheep and the young men of the village, he was about to attack the princess in order to appease her appetite. The dreaded dragon, after having devoured all the sheep, exacted from the inhabitants a daily tribute of two young men drawn by lot. George, a native soldier of Cappadocia in the service of the emperor Diocletian, was passing through the city on his white horse on the day when the lot had fallen on the king's daughter, and she in turn was about to fall victim to the monster. St. George engaged in a fierce fight with the dragon; with the help of Christ and after making the sign of the cross, he pierced him with his spear. The princess was freed and the dragon followed her like a faithful dog to the City. The inhabitants of the city agreed to convert to Christianity and receive baptism. George killed the dragon with a blow of his scimitar"
Bibilography:
*Frederico ANDRISIANI " Brass alms dishes, 15th and 16th centuries brass alms dishes, bowls and bassins ", Padoue (Italie) 2017
*Tamas EGYEKI-SZABO " Beckensclägerschüsseln 15.-16. Jahrhundert ", Budapest (Hongrie) 2008
* Klaus TIEDEMANN, "Nürnberger Beckenschlägerschüsseln. Nuremberg Alms Dishes. 2" 2018
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