English 14th Century

Anonymous English 14th Century

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Carved from cream-white alabaster stone, this free-standing sculpture shows an armored knight sitting atop a horse, which straddles a curled up, snarling dragon in front of a kneeling person. In this photograph, the bodies of the horse and man face our left in profile. The dragon is pinned on its back with its head under the horse’s mouth. There are some losses: the head of the kneeling person is gone, and parts of both of the knight’s arms are missing. The lance the knight holds and the sword at his hip are also fragmented. The knight leans forward with his right arm, farther from us, raised and a shield with a red cross is affixed to the opposite upper arm. His pointed, rounded helmet is lined with chain mail around the chin and neck. Simple bands in gold, red, and black decorate the knight’s armor as well as the saddle and bridle on the horse. The horse looks down at the dragon underfoot, his chin pulled sharply back. The dragon is painted burgundy red, and has a large head with a gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth and fangs. Claws tear at the horse’s legs as the knight drives the lance into the dragon’s body. The creature’s black wings are pinned under its body, and its dotted tail curls up between the hind legs. To our left, near the dragon and horse's heads, the kneeling person wears a gold-edged dress under a voluminous robe. One hand holds the black and gold striped band looping around the dragon’s neck, and the other is raised to that person’s chest. The stone under the people and animals is roughly carved, suggesting a rocky ground.
English 14th Century, English 15th Century, Saint George and the Dragon, 1370/1420, painted and gilded alabaster, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1953.2.2

Saint George and the Dragon

English 14th Century, English 15th Century · 1370/1420 · painted and gilded alabaster ·  Accession ID  1953.2.2

A seated man wearing a long robe and a crown has a crucifix in his lap in this free-standing, cream-white, alabaster sculpture. In this view, the seated man’s body faces us, and his arms are broken off beyond the elbow. He has short, wavy hair and a trimmed beard. His almond-shaped eyes are blank, and his lips are closed. His robe is deeply pleated and hangs in a U shape between his knees. A bird in flight, facing downward, hovers at his throat over the head of the crucified man. That man’s extended arms are also partially broken, but he hangs with his head tilted down to our left. He has a halo behind his long hair, and his mouth drops open. He is nude except for a loincloth across his hips. The crowned man sits on a base with a shield on the front center, but this area is worn.
English 14th Century, Spanish 14th Century, The Holy Trinity, c. 1300/1350, alabaster, with traces of polychromy, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1953.2.1

The Holy Trinity

English 14th Century, Spanish 14th Century · c. 1300/1350 · alabaster, with traces of polychromy ·  Accession ID  1953.2.1