310 - Albrecht Dürer (1471 - Nuremberg - 1528), Saint George on Foot.

Albrecht Dürer (1471 - Nuremberg - 1528), Saint George on Foot. Engraving on laid paper, watermark Bull’s Head (Meder 64). (c. 1502/03). 11.4 x 7.2 cm (sheet). Bartsch 53; Meder 55 a-b (of f); Schoch/Mende/Scherbaum 34 a-b (of f). A very fine Meder a-b impression, printing sharply and clearly with good contrasts and all the details distinct. With the vertical scratch along the upper half of the right margin, before the scratches in the landscape and the dragon, as required by Meder for the early prints. With narrow margins around the borderline. Albrecht Dürer presents Saint George standing upright in full armour, rendered with meticulous precision. In his left hand, he holds a partially visible banner bearing a cross within a circle – a subtle yet clear symbol of Christian victory. At his feet lies the slain dragon, reduced in scale and detail, drawing attention not to the violence of the act, but to the calm dignity of the saint. Through delicate hatching and refined use of light and line, Dürer gives the figure both sculptural presence and inner tension. The composition reflects his engagement with Italian Renaissance ideals as well as his grounding in Northern devotional imagery. The paper time-stained; verso, remains of a previous mounting in the upper and lower right corners. A smoothed horizontal crease, not visible on the front. A tiny, closed tear on the right edge. A light stain on the reverse; otherwise in good condition. Taxation: differenzbesteuert (VAT: Margin Scheme).