Statue of St. George - Florence, Italy - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

George of Lydda, a Roman soldier and member of the Praetorian Guard, was venerated as Saint George after he was martyred for his Christian faith during the late 3rd-century persecutions under Roman emperor Diocletian. Over the centuries, many tales have been told about St. George, some taller than others. The most famous of these is where St. George slays a dragon that had been terrorizing a village and saving the king’s daughter from being sacrificed in the process.

Due to his association with the military, protection and chivalry, St. George has become connected with a large number of patronages. In the 14th and 15th centuries, he was the patron saint of the guild of armorers and swordmakers in Florence. There were many guilds operating in Florence at that time and when these guilds were asked to provide statues to be placed in the niches around the outside of the Orsanmichele, an important public building where the guilds competed for business, the armorers chose St. George. Prominent Florentine sculptor Donatello was commissioned to create the statue.

This statue of St. George is one of the prolific Renaissance sculptor’s most famous works. It shows the venerable saint standing confidently with his shield in front of him and with a pensive look on his face. The episode with the dragon is portrayed on a bas-relief at the base of the statue complete with a cave, the dragon and a damsel in distress. In the late nineteenth century, the statue was removed for conservation purposes and displayed indoors at the Bargello Museum. A bronze replica was placed in the niche at the Orsanmichele.

The stamp was issued in 1957 as part of a new set of definitive postage stamps that were around for a long time. The two highest values show the head of Donatello’s St. George statue. The display at the Bargello shows the statue in a replica of the niche where it was originally positioned and at about the same height.

Stamp Issuing Country: Italy Date of Issue: 24-Jun-1957 Denomination: 1000 l Color: rose carmine Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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