Object number2023.18.3
St. Sebastian
Datec. 1510
Artist
Lucas van Leyden
(Netherlandish, 1494 - 1533)
CultureNetherlandish
MediumEngraving
DimensionsSheet (Trimmed): 4 1/8 x 2 7/8 in. (10.5 x 7.3 cm)
Credit LineGift of C.G. Boerner, in memory of Thomas R. Firman
On View
Not on viewPeriod16th c
Classification(s)
SignedOn recto printed within image, upper right within a note hanging from a tree branch: L
Catalogue raisonnéH. X.115; D.115; NH 115, (a); B.115, 398; V.112BibliographyNew Hollstein (Dutch & Flemish) / The New Hollstein: Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts 1450-1700 (115); Bartsch / Le Peintre graveur (VII.398.115)DescriptionSt. Sebastian stands tied with rope to a tree behind him, his right arm raised above him and his left arm pulled around behind tree trunk; legs bound just below knees; one arrow piercing his chest and one his thigh. His hair is down and he has a halo around his head. The landscape is littered with grasses and stones and a large log is at right out of frame. A small, square note with the letter "L" hangs from a branch at right. St. Sebastian was a soldier who converted many to Christianity under the rule of Emperor Diocletian, noted for his persecution of Christians. Upon discovering his religious background, Diocletian ordered Sebastian to be tied up on the training field and shot with arrows. The archers left him for dead, but a Christian widow, Irene of Rome nursed him back to health.
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