Majestic altar painting with Saint George: unification of scenes, ascension to paradise.

(Active in the 18th century) A large altarpiece depicting Saint George. The painting combines several distinct scenes. In the lower zone, Saint George fights the dragon and suffers martyrdom. The majority of the painting depicts the ascension of Saint George into heaven as a martyr. On a cloud pedestal carried by a large angel, Saint George humbly kneels in the characteristic attire of a Roman soldier or knight (though with a cross on his breastplate). To his right is depicted an angel with a martyr’s palm, and to his left, an angel with a spear attached to a flag bearing a white cross on a red background. The saint looks toward Christ in heaven and the cross, surrounded by numerous other angels. Saint George is a legendary Christian saint who, according to tradition, suffered during the early Christian persecution under Diocletian (284-305) and is considered one of the most venerated saints of the Middle Ages. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and also the patron saint of various countries, noble families, cities, knightly orders, and scouts. The iconography of this painting is particularly notable for the simultaneous depiction of several separate scenes and the flag, which may indicate that the commissioner was the Order of St. John or the Order of Malta. Oil on canvas; 248 cm x 146 cm. Framed. Provenance: From the collection of an old North German hotel family. South German artist, active in the 18th century.