Landschap met Joris en de draak c. 1663 - 1726

Moise Jean Baptiste Fouard created this print, "Landschap met Joris en de draak," sometime between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Fouard, born in France, was working during a period of significant religious and political upheaval, particularly the reign of Louis XIV and the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, which deeply affected the Protestant community. This image depicts Saint George, triumphant over the dragon, in a landscape setting. Typically, Saint George is seen as a symbol of Christian virtue overcoming evil, but Fouard's portrayal is interesting: the dragon is already defeated, and the landscape, not the action, is the focus. Think about how the landscape itself carries cultural weight. As settlements dot the mountainous background, and a winding path leads the eye deeper into the scene, consider how Fouard uses the landscape to explore themes of power and identity. Fouard offers a moment of reflection on the narratives of heroism and the spaces in which they play out, inviting us to consider the quiet aftermath of monumental events.