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St. George and the Dragon by Carl Paul Jennewein
Photo CreditCarol M. Highsmith Photography
St. George and the Dragon
Photo CreditCarol M. Highsmith Photography

St. George and the Dragon

Artist
Year1933
Classification sculpture
Medium painted plaster
Dimensions64 × 88 in. (162.6 × 223.5 cm)
Credits Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Location
  • St. George and the Dragon is one of four bas-reliefs, or low reliefs, designed by Carl Paul Jennewein and executed by Anthony di Lorenzo. In 1933, they were installed on the ceiling of the first floor of the U.S. Department of Justice Building in Washington, D.C. In this relief, Jennewein portrays an early Christian legend about Saint George, who slew a dragon to save a princess from sacrifice. This relief draws a visual parallel to its neighboring relief, Muse and Pegasus, which depicts a Muse, or goddess of literature, science, and the arts, with the mythical winged horse, Pegasus. Both reliefs include rearing horses and explore virtues needed in the pursuit of justice., By highlighting the saint’s role as a protector of the innocent in St. George and the Dragon, Jennewein uplifts this attribute as an important function of a successful legal system.