One of a series of works by Master E.S., this engraving depicts the letter Y through bold images. In this work by the 15th Century German artist, we have a knight defeating a small dragon as his lady and an angel look on.
I suspect that there is far more meaning to this work than has been written by others. At first glance it looks like the knight is simply slaying the dragon. Look closer and it appears that the knight is not holding a lance but is actually holding the beast’s tongue. The lady has an angel hovering above her head who seems to be braiding or otherwise tending to her hair.
I’m no historian but I highly suspect what others have described as his fantastic alphabet of grotesque figures actually have meaning beyond the letter they form.