This exquisite pair of vases by Louis Damon depicts the mythological figures of Triton and Saint George slaying the dragon in two layers of purple and sky blue cameo glass. The Vase of Triton depicts Triton, the son of the Greek god Poseidon, blowing a large conch shell to herald the birth of Venus, with the foreground populated by a rococo rendition of a dolphin. The other vase depicts the legend of St. George and the Dragon, after a composition by Raphael. As told in the 12th-century Golden Legend, St. George encountered a kingdom in Northern Africa terrorized by a dragon demanding daily human sacrifices. He wounded the beast, saved the princess destined for sacrifice, and led both back to the town of Silene. There, he vowed to kill the dragon and free the kingdom if its people converted to Christianity—a proposal they eagerly accepted. Believed to represent the ancient capital of Libya, the tale was seen as an allegory for the arrival of Christianity in the region.
