Paintings, Prints & Drawings — C. 1834
St George and the dragon
This watercolour depicts Andrew Ducrow (1793-1842), a theatrical performer with considerable riding talent, on one of his famous white horses 'Bayard' from Astley’s Amphitheatre in a production of St. George and the Dragon in 1834 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Ducrow was also the proprietor of Astley's Amphitheatre, a venue for popular entertainments.
Plays were frequently adapted to showcase Ducrow’s riding prowess and the entertainments were extremely popular. In this production Ducrow had a flying dragon that lifted him bodily from his saddle during the combat.
Dickens knew of Ducrow and described him in Sketches by Boz ‘one moment you are driving with all the skill and smartness of an experienced whip, the next you are exhibiting a la Ducrow, on the off leader’.
- Category:
- Paintings, Prints & Drawings
- Object ID:
- 61.39/18
- Object name:
- St George and the dragon
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- —
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- c. 1834
- Material:
paper, watercolour
- Measurements/duration:
- H 281 mm, W 375 mm (paper)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 100%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.