Russian Icon of St George and the Dragon. 18th century AD or earlier. A rectangular wooden board with painted icon on a prepared surface, egg tempera on gesso(?); polychrome borders framing a scene of nimbate and armoured Saint George, mounted on a white horse, spearing the dragon, text either side of his head; set in a mountainous landscape; the hand of God emerging from a cloud in the upper right hand corner, with text; modern mounts and aged handwriting to the reverse.See Buckton, D., Byzantium, Treasures of Byzantine Art and Culture, London, 1994, item 236, for a similar 16th century icon from Crete; see Weizmann, K. et al., The Icon, New York, 1982, for general discussion.1.4 kg, 35 x 30cm (13 3/4 x 11 3/4"). Property of a London lady, part of her family's collection; acquired in the 1970s.