Saint Sylvester and the Dragon

Gallery 307, European Art 1100-1500, third floor

Main Building

Saint Sylvester and the Dragon

c. 1380-1385

Agnolo Gaddi (Agnolo di Taddeo Gaddi) (Italian (active Florence), first documented 1369, died 1396)

Pope Sylvester I (died 335) binds the mouth of a dragon, sealing off its poisonous breath, and revives the two victims who lie in the foreground. The crowned observer on the right is the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (ruled 306–337), who, according to legend, had been cured of leprosy by Sylvester.

Gallery 307, European Art 1100-1500, third floor

Object Details

Title:

Saint Sylvester and the Dragon

Date:

c. 1380-1385

Artist:

Agnolo Gaddi (Agnolo di Taddeo Gaddi) (Italian (active Florence), first documented 1369, died 1396)

Medium:

Tempera and tooled gold on panel with horizontal grain

Dimensions:

11 1/2 x 15 1/8 inches (29.2 x 38.4 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

John G. Johnson Collection, 1917

Accession Number:

Cat. 9

Geography:

Made in Florence, Italy, Europe

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Gallery 307, European Art 1100-1500, third floor

Main Building

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