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St. George dedicating himself to the Virgin, Astbury, Cheshire (!Chester) Later C.15
Photo:T.Marshall
A rare English sighting of St. George without the Dragon, but with some other very uncommon contextual details.¹ At the far left and shown left below, George kneels, accompanied by a priest in a white robe and a red-brown cowl, before an altar beside which the Virgin stands at the extreme left. She has almost disappeared, but something of two angels accompanying her, particularly their narrow, diagonally-angled wings, can still be seen. St. George has laid aside his shield for this act of dedication, and it stands, its red cross still detectable, to the right of the priest.
In the center of the painting and shown at the right here below is Georges white horse, saddled and ready. The horizon(?) visible here may show buildings, but it is difficult to be sure.![S. George's horse [44KB]](astbury4.jpg)
The scene to the right (detail below left) has George standing with a lance, with a kneeling female figure who is almost certainly the the princess in his story, and who is about to become the Dragons next victim unless George intervenes. A structure to the right of the princess may be intended for a stone doorway or tower.
It may be that this painting is meant, unusually, to be read from right to left, and that this depiction of the kneeling princess is intended to show her entreating Georges help in the beginning, after which George prays for the assistance of Christ and the Virgin before the combat.
On the other hand, the princess may be kneeling in gratitude before her victorious champion. There may once have been other scenes, including the Dragon, painted elsewhere on this north wall, but there is nothing else left now.
There are, however, many other interesting medieval features at Astbury, including a fine stained glass panel showing St. Anne teaching the Virgin to read. The sculpted heads, especially those in the central aisle of the nave are superbly expressive (their expressions are, it must be said, exceptionally grave and serious - no amusing grotesques here). But this is the work of a remarkable craftsman creating images of what were obviously real people. (Click here for an example). The carved heads behind the altar are modern, but the medieval artist has clearly inspired the modern one.
¹St. Anietus church, St. Neots, Cornwall has a very full cycle of the Life of St. George in early 16th century stained glass (I have not seen it)
Website for St. Marys, Astbury
St. Andrew Martyred, Stoke Dry, Rutland
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St. Anne teaching the Virgin to read-Corby Glen, Lincolnshire
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St. Antony and the Pig, Barton, Cambridgeshire
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St. Barbara : Hessett, Suffolk
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St. Bartholomew : Selling, Kent
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St.Catherine of Alexandria, life of : Castor, Cambs
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St Catherine of Alexandria, Cold Overton, Leicestershire NEW |
St.Catherine of Alexandria : Hardley Street, Norfolk
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St.Catherine of Alexandria : Old Weston, Northants
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St.Catherine of Alexandria : Pickering, N. Yorks
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St.Catherine of Alexandria, life of : Sporle, Norfolk
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St. Catherine of Alexandria, Martyrdom of: Burton Latimer, Northants NEW |
St. Catherine of Alexandria or another female saint : Ashley, Hampshire NEW |
St. Clement : South Leigh, Oxon.
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Scenes from the life of St. Cuthbert : Pittington, Co. Durham NEW |
St. Dunstan holding the Devil by the nose : Barton, Cambs
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St.Edmund : Boxford, Suffolk
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St. Edmund : Lakenheath, Suffolk
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St. Edmund, Martyrdom of : Bishopsbourne, Kent
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St.Edmund, Martyrdom of : Fritton, Norfolk
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St. Edmund (or St. Walstan) : Gisleham, Norfolk
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St. Edmund, Martyrdom of : Pickering, N.Yorks
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St. Edmund, Martyrdom of : Stoke Dry, Rutland
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St. Edmund, Martyrdom of : Troston, Suffolk
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St. Edmund, Martyrdom of : Weare Giffard, Devon
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St.Eloi, Broughton, Bucks
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St. Eloi and the possessed horse, Slapton, Northants
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St. Eloi, as bishop & blacksmith, Wensley, N.Yorks
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St.Erasmus, Martyrdom of : Chippenham, Cambs
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St. Etheldreda : Willingham, Cambs
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St. Francis Preaching to the Birds : Little Kimble, Bucks
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St.Francis Preaching to the Birds : Wissington, Suffolk
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St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata, Slapton, Northants
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St. George & Dragon : Banningham, Norfolk
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St. George & Dragon : Broughton, Bucks
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St. George & Dragon : Earl Stonham, Suffolk
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St. George & Dragon : Fritton, Norfolk
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St. George & Dragon : Hornton, Oxon
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St. George dedicating himself to the Virgin : Astbury, Cheshire
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St. George, with the princess : Little Kimble, Bucks
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St. George & the Dragon : Kirtlington, Oxon NEW |
St.Helena, Broughton, Bucks
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St.James the Great : Hales, Norfolk
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Life of St. James, Stoke Orchard, Gloucestershire
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St. James the Great, meeting pilgrims : Wisborough Green, Sussex
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St. James the Great, Yelden (or Yielden), Beds NEW |
St. John the Baptist, Martyrdom of : Chalfont St. Giles, Bucks
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St. John the Baptist, Martyrdom of : Heydon, Norfolk
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St. John the Baptist, Martyrdom of : Idsworth, Hampshire
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St. John the Baptist, Martyrdom of : Old Weston, Northants
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St. John the Baptist, Martyrdom of : Pickering, N. Yorks
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Life of St. John the Baptist : Cerne Abbas, Dorset
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St. John the Evangelist, Selling, Kent
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St. John the Evangelist, Weston Longville, Norfolk
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St. Margaret of Antioch : Old Weston, Northants
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St. Margaret and the dragon : South Newington, Oxfordshire
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St. Margaret of Antioch Martyred, Stoke Dry, Rutland
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St. Margaret of Antioch, Life of : Charlwood, Surrey
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Life of St. Margaret, Wendens Ambo, Essex
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Martyrdom of St. Margaret, Duxford, Cambridgeshire
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Martyrdom of St. Margaret, Ashby St Ledgers, Northamptonshire NEW |
St. Martin dividing his cloak, Chalgrave, Beds
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St. Martin dividing his cloak, Wareham, Dorset
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St Michael, with kneeling donor, South Newington, Oxfordshire NEW |
St.Nicholas of Myra, life of : Little Horwood, Bucks
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St. Nicholas of Myra, two miracles of : Wissington, Suffolk
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St. Nicholas of Myra & the Boys in the Barrel, Padworth, Berkshire
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St.Paul : Black Bourton, Oxon
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St. Paul : Beckley, Oxon
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St. Paul : Selling, Kent
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St. Peter : Beckley, Oxon
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St.Peter : Black Bourton, Oxon
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St. Peter, Martyrdom of : Chacombe, Northants
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St. Peter : Selling, Kent
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SS. Peter & Paul, Old Idsworth, Hampshire
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St. Roch : Pinvin, Worcs
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St. Sexburga? : Willingham, Cambs
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S. Stephen, Martyrdom of, North Stoke, Oxon
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St. Stephen, Stoning of: Black Bourton, Oxon
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St. Stephen, Stoning of: Catfield, Norfolk
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St.Swithun (?) enthroned : Old Weston, Northants
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Scenes from the life of St. Swithun : Corhampton, Hampshire
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St. Thomas Becket, blessing, Hauxton, Cambs.
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St. Thomas Becket, Murder of, Marston Magna, Somerset
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St. Thomas Becket, Murder of, North Stoke, Oxfordshire
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St.Thomas Becket, Murder of : South Burlingham, Norfolk
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St. Thomas Becket, Murder of : South Newington, Oxfordshire St. Thomas Becket, Murder of : Brookland, Kent NEWSt. Walstan of Bawburgh? or St. Edmund : Gisleham, NorfolkSt. Zita : Horley, OxonSt. Zita : Shorthampton, OxonUnidentified female saint : HeydonUnidentified saintly bishop (once thought to be St. Denis) : Little Wakering, Essex NEW
The Saints : Introduction Main Site Contents Page Home Page
11/4/2001
© Anne Marshall 2001**++5/3/13
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