Nothing is known of the history of this work, which was given to Palazzo Venezia in 1920 by the Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo. It shows St. Sebastian, as he is traditionally depicted, standing, tied to a tree by his hands, which are bound behind his back. His body is partially covered by a small loincloth and the marks left by arrows, with which he has been shot, are visible. His pose is rigid and front on to the viewer. It is rather coarsely and imprecisely executed, as can be seen in the ribs protruding from his torso and in the locks of the hair. There is some pathos in his ‘dazed’ look and his half-open mouth. Technical-scientific tests carried out in 2009 by IVALSA-CNR in Florence identified the wood used as willow (Salix sp.).

Grazia Maria Fachechi