Object ID
2008.37.11
Object Name
Block, Printing
Date Created
March 15, 1902
Material
Lead; Wood
Object Entities
Damianos, John (is related to)
Object Description
Wood and cast lead printing block. The print design is that of a circular seal. The seal consists of an outer circle and an inner circle. Between the outer and inner circle is a ring of Greek text that translates to: "League Tanias Saint George, Chicago, Ill." On the inside of the inner circle, following the upper curve is the text: "Incorporated Mar. 15 1902." At the center of the seal is an image of Saint George slaying the dragon. Saint George is on horseback with a cap, a halo, and holding a spear, which he is thrusting down at a snake-like dragon on the ground.
Origin
Donated by John Damianos. The printing block was used in a linotype printing machine. Linotype presses allowed for the casting of entire lines to be printed at a time. Linotype printing was eventually succeeded by lithograph printing and computer typesetting during the 1960's and 1970's. This printing block was used by the Chicago-based, The Greek Art Printing Company. The organization referred to in the text along the outside of the seal cannot be identified. It is unclear what the word "tanias" refers to. Saint George was a Roman soldier during the rule of Emperor Diocletian. He became a Christian martyr when he exposed himself as a Christian after Diocletian had ordered that all Christian soldiers be executed. Diocletian attempted to convert Saint George to worshipping the Roman gods, but Saint George refused and was executed. The legend of Saint George and the Dragon originates in Eastern Orthodoxy. The story is that a dragon, commonly interpreted as Satan, lived in a lake that was used as the water source for the nearby city. The city dwellers appeased the dragon, so as to get water, by offering it sheep and sometimes thier children, drawn by lot. When the king's daughter was drawn for offering Saint George happened by and protected the princess, slaying the dragon in the process. As a result the entire city converted to Christianity.
Rights and Reproduction
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Citation
Block, Printing, March 15, 1902, Greek Art Printing Company Artifact Collection, National Hellenic Museum, https://collections.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/Detail/objects/9784. Accessed 03/19/24.