Doorway Lintel
Doorway Lintel
3D
Published 2019-03-14T14:22:33+00:00
In Genoa, the houses were often built in narrow, steep streets. This made the lintel the best place for any exterior decoration. It was often carved with images of St George and the Dragon or the Annunciation. These signalled the piety of the owner and sometimes included religious inscriptions. This work was probably made by a follower of Giovanni Gaggini (active after 1449, died 1517).
St. George and the Dragon, relief in slate (pietra nera di promontoria). In the centre St. George, in left profile, spears the dragon, which appears in the foreground to the left. The Saint is fully armed and his cloak blows out behind him. To right and left are men in armour, each carrying a mace; both figures hold defaced shields. Behind, in the rocky landscape, are seen (left) the princess in prayer and (right) the king and queen with their court, and, beneath, a shepherd piping while his sheep graze below. The relief is recessed within a moulded border.
Sections of the border have been chipped away in the upper left centre and on the left. The lower part of the Saint's spear is missing. Breaks in the lower part of the left front leg and both rear legs of the horse, and the maces carried by the armed figures at the sides. The shepherd is much abraded. A triangular section at the bottom has been broken and repaired.
| Date published | 14/03/2019 |
| Complessità | Easy |
| Title | Doorway Lintel |
| Date | ca.1450-1500 |
| Dimension | Height: 62.7 cm, Width: 179 cm, Depth: 14 cm, Weight: 208 kg |
| Accession | 7255-1861 |
| Period | Medieval |
| Medium | Slade |
| Credit | Purchased in Genoa for 22 lire |
| Record | http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O93234/st-george-and-the-dragon-relief-gagini-giovanni/ |
| Artist | Giovanni Gagini |
| Place | Victoria and Albert Museum, London |