“Virgin of Drachenfels

Catalog No. 776

Pottery or stoneware, relief, 0.5L, figural lid (tower roof), signed “KB” (Anton Killian “Karl” Beuler).

Text:
“Herr schütz mich vor des Drachen Zahn,
lass mich n. streben um heidnischen Wahn.
Da dringt m. schnauben das Untier vor,
und glaübig hält sie’s Kreuz ihm vor.
Kaum sieht er’s so flieht er von dann’,
den Drach u. die Heiden d. Kweuz bezwang.”

(Lord, protect me from the dragon’s tooth,
don’t let me die in pagan delusion.
Here comes the roaring monster,
and with faith she holds up the cross to him.
As soon as he sees it, he flees from there,
the dragon and the heathen defeated by the cross.)

Drachenfels (Dragon’s Rock) is a mountain in the Siebengebirge range and the site of three German legends. One tells a story in which the hero Siegfried comes upon pagan peasants about to sacrifice a virgin to the dragon, so he slays the dragon and saves the maiden from her fate. In another, the sacrificial virgin (a Christian), stops the dragon in his tracks by showing it her crucifix and later goes on to convert the pagan village to Christianity. In the third, the dragon attacks a boat carrying a cargo of gunpowder, causing an explosion that kills the dragon.

Note that there variations in both body design and lid configurations.

See also No. 953.

Price Ranges
Full-color: $125-$175
Ltd-color: $100-$150

     
MG 776
MG 776

 
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