Height 18.50 inches
The story of Saint George and the Dragon was included in Jacobus de Voragine's collection of Saints' lives written about 1275, to become part of the Golden Legends, translated into English and published by Caxton in 1483. A modern version says:
"At the town of Silene,
in Libya,
there was a dragon, who was appeased
by being fed two sheep a day; when
these failed, the townsfolk offered by lot
one of their young people. One day the
lot fell on the King's daughter, who
was led out to the sacrifice, dressed in
her wedding gown. George appeared
and transfixed the dragon with his
spear and then using the Princess's
girdle led the bemused dragon into the
town, where it was beheaded."
Using sharp chisels, craftsmen cut the steel plate into shape
and hammer the edges. Others bend, cast and attach the wire hung counterweight
and check balance and swing. Village painters hand paint faces and important
details. Apprentices do base paint and more mundane details. The
distressed finish is the result of an old and proven system of combined layers
of paint of slightly different composition. The final step is a hand rub with
dark colored beeswax giving it the final finish and feel. In the manner of their
antique predecessors, our balance toys are true originals.