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Image scanned/or photographed from transparency and color corrected by Pat Cagney.
Saint Margaret and the Dragon
Image scanned/or photographed from transparency and color corrected by Pat Cagney.
Image scanned/or photographed from transparency and color corrected by Pat Cagney.

Saint Margaret and the Dragon

Artist Unknown French
CultureFrench
Dateca. 1520
MediumPolychromed limestone
DimensionsOverall: 39 x 14 x 8 1/2 in. (99.1 x 35.6 x 21.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Irene Leache Memorial Foundation
Object number2014.3.12
Collections
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 202
DescriptionThis is a limestone sculpture of St. Margaret and a dragon. Her once brilliantly polychromed garment has now faded. Her hands are folded piously as if in prayer, between them a cross (partially broken). She has small features on a wide square face. Her cap has a wing over each ear and long curly hair spills down her back and over her shoulders. Under her right foot is a dragon, appearing as docile as a pet. The dragon is very thin, ribs and vertebra evident through the skin.

Label TextSaint Margaret and the Dragon, ca. 1520 French Limestone with polychrome Pregnant women pray to Saint Margaret because of the miracles that embellish her life. According to medieval lore, Margaret’s conversion to Christianity enraged the devil, who transformed into a fire-breathing dragon and swallowed her whole. The cross she had with her miraculously grew larger and larger until it split the devil in two, allowing Margaret to escape. Ever devout, she then prayed that her deliverance might comfort those suffering the pains of childbirth. Here, Margaret clutches her cross as she tramples the dragon. Her calm demeanor and prayerful pose reflect her unshakeable faith, reassuring those women who turn to her for strength. Gift of the Irene Leache Memorial Foundation 2014.3.12 ProvenanceGift of the Irene Leache Memorial Foundation to the Chrysler Museum of Art, March 2014.Exhibition History"Medieval Monsters: Dragons and Fantastic Creatures", Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY, January 15-April 16, 1995. "Treasures for the Community: The Chrysler Collects, 1989-1996," October 25,1996 - February 16, 1997 Published ReferencesMEDIEVAL MONSTERS: DRAGONS AND FANTASTIC CREATURES (Katonah, NY: Katonah Museum of Art, 1995), Ill. No. 45, p. 17; Cat. No. 45, p. 35.
Scanned from a slide by Jimmy Brown; color-correction by Pat Cagney.
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