581 - St. George battling the dragon

St. George battling the dragon Modelled and engraved red terracotta. Depicting the saint in a chainmail tunic, standing atop the dragon and plunging a lance into its open jaws. The reverse slightly flattened. Height 14.7 cm; width 7.7 cm. Utrecht or Liège, probably 14th/15th C. Sebastiaan Ostkamp cites numerous models that were found during the first excavations in 1844, when the city walls of Utrecht were being demolished, near the Tolsteegpoort. This discovery provides evidence of production from the early fourteenth century onwards, and on such a scale that Utrecht is regarded as one of the most important centres of production for clay devotional objects. Following this example, the Liège beeldenbackers also began producing ceramic objects, making the origin of this small clay sculpture difficult to determine with certainty, particularly as it was found in the vicinity of Liège. Nevertheless, it can probably be regarded as one of the earliest pieces found during these excavations. Provenance Found during excavations in the River Meuse between Maastricht and Liège. Belgian private collection. Literature Cf. Ostkamp, “Aus Utrechter Erde? Utrecht und die Produktion von Pfeifenton-Devotionalien”, in: Preising/Rief (eds.), Mittelalterliche Bildwerke aus Utrecht 1430–1530, Utrecht–Aachen 2013, pp. 108 ff. Cf. Preising/Rief (eds.), Mittelalterliche Bildwerke aus Utrecht 1430–1530, Utrecht–Aachen 2013, cat. nos. 78 ff.