PAINTING OF THE COMBAT OF ST. GEORGE WITH THE DRAGON 1838 LITHOGRAPH

Original 1838 18 1/2 inch x 12 3/8 inch Hand-Coloured reprint of the 1807 Lithograph Titled PAINTING OF THE COMBAT OF ST. GEORGE WITH THE DRAGON IN THE NAVE OF THE CHAPEL OF THE TRINITY, STRATFORD UPON AVON IN WARWICKSHIRE.

The victory is here represented more than half accomplished; for the monster is pierced through the neck by the spear, though it has subsequently seized the shaft, and broken it with its claws. The Saint is now returning to the charge, sword in hand, and the horse has just struck the dragon’s mouth with the point of its frontal or champfrein, which gives the noble steed the appearance of an unicorn. In the background is the devoted Princess, with her virgin hair dishevelled, and a lamb her companion, the emblem of her purity and innocence. Her royal parents are anxiously watching her fate, from the gates of the city of Silene, which is here represented as a sea-port.

Drawn and Engraved by Thomas Fisher (1772 - 1836). Amateur painter, engraver and early lithographer.

In 1804 a scheme of wall paintings were discovered during restoration works in the Guild Chapel at Stratford-upon-Avon. They depicted scenes such as the Legend of the Discovery of the True Cross, the Last Judgement, Saint George slaying a Dragon, the Dance of Death and the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Beckett. Thomas Fisher, an English antiquary, produced coloured drawings of the frescos when they were discovered and published them in 1807. They were soon afterwards whitewashed or destroyed. In 1809 Fisher re-issued these plates along with facsimiles of original documents he had found during further investigations. Though it was Fisher’s intention to publish letterpress with all his plates, a stipulation of the 1818 Copyright Act regarding legal deposit requirements prevented him from doing so. He got around this by publishing his research in an 1835 edition of The Gentleman’s Magazine, then edited by the antiquary and publisher John Gough Nichols. Two years after Fisher’s death Nichols reprinted a luxury edition of the original plates, finally with letterpress, and featuring new engravings and facsimiles of previously unpublished material.

From ‘Ancient Allegorical, Historical, and Legendary Paintings, In Fresco, Discovered in the Summer of 1804, on the Walls of the Chapel of the Trinity, belonging to the Gilde of the Holy Cross, at Stratford-Upon-Avon’ published by Henry George Bohn, 4 York Street, Covent Garden, London. 1838.

Plate size 14 inch x 9 3/4 inch

The lithograph is in very good condition with minor age related toning. Reverse side blank.