Majestic altar painting with Saint George: the fusion of scenes, elevation in Paradise.

(Active in the 18th century) Large altarpiece with St. George. The painting combines several individual scenes with each other. In the lower zone, St. George fights the dragon and is beheaded as a martyr. The largest part of the painting depicts the ascension of St. George as a martyr saint into heaven. On a cloud pedestal carried by a large angel, St. George kneels humbly in the characteristic clothing of a Roman soldier or knight (however, with a cross on the breastplate). To his right, an angel is depicted with a martyr's palm, and to his left, an angel is depicted with a lance connected to a flag showing a white cross on a red background. The saint gazes at Christ in heaven and the cross, surrounded by numerous other angels. St. George is a legendary Christian saint who, according to tradition, suffered martyrdom at the beginning of the Christian persecution under Diocletian (284-305) and is counted among the most revered saints since the Middle Ages. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and is also the patron saint of various countries, noble families, cities, and knightly orders, as well as the Boy Scouts. The iconography of this painting is particularly extraordinary, with the simultaneous representation of several individual scenes and the flag, which could indicate that a Johanniter or Maltese Order was the commissioning party. Oil on canvas; 248 cm x 146 cm. Frame. Provenance: From the collection of an old North German hotelier family. South German painter active in the 18th century.