Signum draconis

About the artwork

« Signum Draconis”, acrylic colors, sand, paper and gesso on linen canvas 54/73cm About 100 years after the destruction of the Templars, another knight order eclipsed the fame of the Templars and became all powerful in Europe. This knighthood group was called the Order of the Dragon. The order was founded in 1408 by Sigismund, King of Hungary, and was organized like the military orders of the Crusades, especially to fight the Ottoman Turks who continually threatened Eastern Europe. Vlad Dracul III the Impaler, commonly known as Dracula, Prince of Wallachia (actually Romania) was a member of the Order of the Dragon, and the name Dracula, which means “little dragon,” is derived from his membership in the Order of the Dragon. There is no evidence whatsoever that Stoker knew about the Order of the Dragon when he picked that name for his book. Vlad’s father was initiated into the Order of the Dragon. The Order of the Dragon adopted as its symbol in 1408 the image of a circular dragon with its tail coiled around its neck. On its back, from the base of its neck to its tail, was the red cross of St George meaning that the evil was defeated. The inscription above “ O Quam Misericos est Deus, Justus et Paciens” means “Oh how merciful is God, faithful and Just”