Josep Salvadó makes a bronze sculpture of Sant Jordi, the archetype of heroism and idealized love. He is the hero or knight who kills the dragon and saves the princess, a legacy of the Iranian Sarmatians, creators of the armed knights of medieval Europe.

Roman heritage, the rise of Germanic warriors who had joined the Roman ranks, and ecclesiastical influence generated an ethic and ideology that distinguished knights from other fighters. Courage as a supreme value, a virtue of a sacred and mystical order, and magical cults surrounding the sword.

The title of the work, ‘Sant Jordi de l’ausberg’, refers to L’Ausberg or coat of mail, the first element of his clothing, a shirt made by hand, with iron rings intertwined and fastened with a belt to protect in combat those weakest parts of the body, that is to say, the parts where a wound with the weapons of that time – swords, spears, daggers, axes and clubs – could more easily cause the knight’s death , such as the head, neck and trunk.

Year 1992

Bronze

85 cm