Roundel of clear glass painted with brown/black pigment and silver stain. Depicting three episodes from the Golden Legend of the Life of St. George. On the left in the background, the King and Queen of Silene regard the approach of St. George with the dragon. In the centre foreground, St. George embraces the King, newly baptized, as he takes his leave of him. The princess, Cleodolinda, looks on weeping. To the right of the roundel, St. George is seen on horseback, leaving the Kingdom of Silene.
Netherlands, about 1530.

Depicts St George taking leave of the King of Selene. Behind them, Cleodolinda weeps. In the background is a city with the king and his daughter to the left. To the right, St George with his shield on horseback. In the distance a column of fire. Yellow stain with Grisaille.

(17 March 1931) Letter in Register from A.E. Popham to Bernard Rackham:
As to the St. George I think that it is by the same hand,as to the designer at any rate, as your Abraham prostrating himself before the Lord which I believe to be from a design by Jacob Cornelisz. The drawing of the hands with very pointed fingers bent with the tips coming together is the same in both and in the drawings in the British Museum of a messenger and Abraham. All three are so close to the round wood cut passion by Cornelisz (obviously intended as designs for glass roundels) that I think there is a great deal to be said for my theory that Jacob Cornelisz is the designer. It is accepted by Kurt Steinhurst in his Nachlest zum werke Jacob Cornelisz in the Marburgher Jahrbuch. I have never seen this episode in the life of St. George represented. There is Lucas van Leyden's engraving of St. George saying goodbye to the princess but nothing of his farewell to her father. The composition is rather curious and muddled. I think I have seen a figure very like the princess somewhere but I cannot find it. The central group reminds me of an Abraham and Melchisedek. I think the St. George on horseback is the same as a figure in one of the illustrations to the Chevalier deliberé, which some believe to be early works by Cornelisz, but I haven't verified this.

St. George was martyred, most likely, during the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian in 303. The place of his martyrdom was probably Nicomedia in northwest Turkey but later stories of his life place it at Lydda (Lod) near the coast in Palestine.

By the end of the Middle Ages, the cult of St George had spread widely from its original centres in the eastern lands of the old Roman Empire. Evidence suggests that Constantine himself promoted the cult of St George in the 320s and 330s once he had assumed control over the eastern part of the empire.

It seems that George's status as a 'warrior of the church' was greatly promoted in the West by the fighting classes in medieval society. Certainly, the Crusades spread awareness of the saint and the sites associated with his cult and he quickly became the protective saint of many areas in Western Europe. By the fourteenth century St. George had a strong association with England.

In the Golden Legend, a hugely popular mid 13th century compilation of the saint's lives,
the story of St. George and the Dragon is told. George was travelling in the province of Libya and came across a maiden crying. When George asked her what was wrong she told him that she was the daughter of the King whose castle was in Silena. A dragon had been terrorising the neighbouring countryside and the king had been trying to appease it with gifts of sheep for its food. When there were no more sheep, the king declared a lottery and from this a youth or a maiden would be selected to be fed to the dragon. One day the lot fell upon the king's daughter and he had to send her out to be fed to the dragon. This was the point when George appeared.

George speared the dragon, not killing it, chained it and led it and the King's daughter back to Silena. When the people of the city saw the dragon they began to panic but George said he would slay the dragon if the kingdom converted to Christianity. This duly happened.

The king offered a reward to George but he declined and said to give it to the poor instead and to maintain their Christian faith.

In this roundel we see George and the king embracing, his daughter standing behind them. On the right, we see another image of George on horseback leaving the city.

Probably after designs by Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen.

St George was probably martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian in 303. The site of his martyrdom may have been Nicomedia in north-west Turkey, but later stories of his life place it at Lydda (Lod) near the coast in Palestine.

By the end of the Middle Ages, the cult of St George had spread widely from its original centres in the eastern lands of the old Roman empire. Evidence suggests that the emperor Constantine himself promoted the cult of St George in the 320s and 330s, once he had assumed control over that part of the empire.

The fighting classes in medieval society probably promoted George’s status as a ‘warrior of the church’ in the West. Certainly, the Crusades spread awareness of the saint and the sites associated with his cult. He quickly became the protective saint of many areas in Western Europe. By the 14th century St George had a strong association with England.

The Golden Legend, a hugely popular compilation of saints lives written about 1260, tells the story of St George and the Dragon. George was travelling in the province of Libya and came across a maiden crying. When he asked her what was wrong she told him that she was the daughter of the king whose castle was in Silena. A dragon had been terrorising the neighbouring countryside, and the king had been trying to appease it by giving it sheep for food. When there were no more sheep, the king declared a lottery to select a youth or a maiden to feed to the dragon. One day the lot fell upon the princess and the king had to send her out to be fed to the dragon. At this point George appeared.

George speared the dragon, but did not kill it. He chained the beast and led it and the king’s daughter back to Silena. When the people of the city saw the dragon they began to panic, but George said that he would slay the dragon if the kingdom converted to Christianity. This duly happened. The king offered a reward to George, but he declined and told him to give it to the poor instead. and to maintain their Christian faith.

In this roundel we see George and the king embracing, the princess standing behind them. On the right is another image of George on horseback leaving the city.

C.352-1930