JOHANN KÖNIG (1586 Nuremberg 1632) St George and the dragon. Oil on copper. Signed lower right: Jo: Konig. fc. 14.7 × 21.2 cm. Provenance: - French private collection. - Auction Artcurial, Paris, 22 June 2009, lot 6. - John Mitchell Fine Paintings, London. - European private collection. "St George and the Dragon" by Johann König is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful works by the Nuremberg painter, who achieved great fame in particular for his very finely painted works on copper. The painting offered here is in excellent condition and captivates with its fantastic attention to detail in the painterly execution as well as its luminous colours. Johann König shows us the legend of St George as dragon slayer, which was first recorded in the mid-13th century in the Legenda aurea by the Dominican Jacobus de Voragine, at its dramatic climax. St George is depicted on horseback fighting the dragon. The figure of the advancing white horse, on whose back the saint is attacking with tense muscles and a lance under his arm, forms a contrasting counterpoint - also in terms of colour - to the beast in the lower right-hand corner of the composition. A small flame escaping from the monster's maw emphasises the climax of the depicted saint's legend. The praying Princess Cleodolinda can be seen on the left behind the attacking dragon fighter. Next to her, Johann König shows us the lamb as an allusion to her impending sacrifice, which, however, is thwarted by the heroic deed of the Christian knight. Born in Nuremberg as the son of a goldsmith, Johann König spent several years in Venice from 1606 onwards, where he came into contact with the painting of such great masters as Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) and Jacopo Tintoretto (1518-1594). The inspiration that König drew from Venetian painting, and in particular from the art of Tintoretto, is impressively reflected in the painting on offer here. A comparison with Tintoretto's painting "St George and the Dragon", which was painted around 1544 and is now in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg (inv. no. ГЭ-194), reveals clear parallels in composition and tonality. However, while Tintoretto's interpretation of the legend of St George is executed on canvas in a relatively large format and emphasises its narrative character by depicting additional figures, König focuses on the essential protagonists of the saint's legend in his small-format painting. In this way, König is able to masterfully emphasise the drama of the depicted story, particularly by placing the Christian knight between the princess and the dragon, thus creating a unique tension in the painting. In addition to the impressions König was able to gather in Venice, the present painting also reflects the artistic impulses he received during his stay in Rome from 1610 to 1614. In Rome, König socialised with Johann Rottenhammer (1564-1625) and Adam Elsheimer (1578-1610), among others, who had a decisive influence on König's painterly style. König must have come into contact with Elsheimer's painting in Rome in particular, as his strong influence on the painterly execution of the landscapes and the use of light in König's paintings is unmistakable - also in our painting. These art-historical aspects are among the reasons why the painting offered here can be dated to Johann König's Roman period, which is also supported by Dr Gode Krämer, who considers this painting to be one of König's most important works. An additional special feature of our painting is the filigree execution on a copper plate. Around 1600, copper was not only one of the most precious supports for painting, but also allowed artists to paint with enormous finesse and also brought out the colours of the paintings particularly brightly. The advantages of copper as a medium are also clearly visible in König's "Saint George and the Dragon": the nature of the material enables König to create a wonderfully detailed painting with the finest brushstrokes, which has a vivid radiance due to its powerful dynamism and colourfulness. At the same time, the compact format of our copper painting allows for a very unique form of art reception: The filigree masterpiece invites you to pick it up and admire it up close. If you look closely, you can not only marvel at the virtuosity of the figures, the lively design of the landscape and the fantastic rendering of the dragon scales, you can also discover König's precise signature at the bottom right of the painting on the stone (Fig. 1, detail). The legend of St George with the dragon is a widespread and highly valued motif in art history. Paintings of the dragon slayer can be found not only in Tintoretto's work, as already mentioned, but also in the works of other masters such as Paolo Uccello (1397-1475), Giovanni Bellini (c. 1430-1516) and Raphael (1483-1520). The painting by Johann König being auctioned here seamlessly joins the ranks of these virtuoso masters' depictions of dragon slayers and vividly symbolises the timeless idea of the triumph of good over evil. This object marked with * (asterisk) is fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.