#01349 ICON PAINTING

The painting presents a scene of confrontation and triumph set against a vibrant green background. A central figure, mounted on a white horse, dominates the composition. He is clad in elaborate armor, with a red cloak draped over his shoulders, and holds aloft a long spear pointed downwards. The posture suggests both dominance and an active engagement with what lies below.
Beneath the horse, a serpentine creature sprawls across the foreground. Its dark coloration contrasts sharply with the brightness of the horse and rider, emphasizing its threatening nature. The dragon’s form is stylized, lacking realistic detail but conveying a sense of menace through its scale and posture. A rope or tether extends from the spear held by the mounted figure to the dragons body, visually binding it and reinforcing the idea of subjugation.
Above the central action, three figures are arranged in halos within a smaller, rectangular space. Their faces are solemn and their hands raised in blessing or prayer, suggesting divine sanction for the events unfolding below. The uppermost figure extends an arm outwards, seemingly offering a gesture of benediction or perhaps indicating a source of power.
The artist employed a limited palette, relying heavily on red, white, green, and black to create visual impact. Gold leaf is used sparingly but effectively to highlight key elements such as the halos and decorative details on the rider’s armor, drawing attention to their symbolic significance. The overall style is characterized by flattened perspective and stylized figures, typical of iconographic traditions.
Subtexts within the painting likely relate to themes of good versus evil, divine intervention, and the triumph of virtue over adversity. The dragon, a recurring symbol in various cultures, represents chaos or malevolent forces that are overcome through strength and faith. The presence of the upper figures suggests a higher power guiding and supporting the central figure’s actions. The tethering of the beast implies not only defeat but also control – a symbolic restraint on destructive impulses.