Happy Saint Sebastian Day!

Since January 20th is the 'saint' day for Saint Sebastian, I thought that I'd take advantage of the occasion to look at the depictions of Saint Sebastian that I encountered on my recent visit to the National Gallery of Art in Washington.  It seems that in the Renaissance many artists were drawn to the subject of Sebastian's martyrdom -- perhaps because it gave them the cover of Christian mythology for painting or sculpting the nude male figure.  On our travels around the world we've found his martyrdom to be a frequent subject in almost every art museum we have visited.

Here are the five depictions of 'Saint Sebastian' currently on view at the National Gallery in Washington (there may have been more that I missed):

'Saint Sebastian' by Matteo Civitali, painted terra cotta, c.1492, National Gallery of Art 

As we see here, Saint Sebastian is normally depicted bound to a tree or post and shot with arrows.  According to the Christian legend, Sebastian was a captain of the Praetorian Guard, the elite soldiers that guarded the Roman emperor. He had been raised as a Christian near Milan, but the Guard commanders and the emperor were unaware of his religious beliefs.

As a Praetor, he had occasion to counsel two imprisoned Christians prior to their martyrdom, keeping them steadfast in their Christian faith.  While doing so, he converted the official in charge of the prison and several other prisoners, all of whom then fled Rome with the aid of the prison official. His Christian proselytizing brought Sebastian to the attention of the Emperor Diocletian, who ordered him to be tied to a stake and shot by archers.

Matteo Civitali sculpts Saint Sebastian (above) tied to a tree with several arrow holes in his nearly nude body, looking toward heaven for divine support.  The cock of the hip and the bent knee seems quite fey, at least to modern eyes.

'Saint Sebastian' by Amico Aspertini, oil on panel, c.1505, National Gallery of Art

Aspertini paints the same event (above), showing three arrows piercing Sebastian's arm, torso, and legs.  The tree has become a column and he appears to be supported by a balustrade with a relief showing pagan Romans celebrating at a feast.  Aspertini's pose makes the saint seem almost casual about his martyrdom, leaning on the balustrade with one leg crossed over the other with no blood spurting from the arrow wounds.

'Saint Sebastian' by circle of Hubert Gerhard, gilded bronze, early 17th century, National Gallery of Art

Over a century later, Gerhard sculpts the same moment (above), except there don't appear to be arrows or wounds on the body, perhaps an 'archer's-eye' view just before the arrows were let fly.  It is certainly a graphic display of male nudity and also an arresting image of the body tied to the tree and writhing in discomfort.

'Saint Sebastian' by Tanzio da Varallo, oil on canvas, c. 1620-30, National Gallery of Art

Now comes the interesting part of the legend.  Saint Irene of Rome went to collect and bury the body of Sebastian after he had been shot by the archers and left for dead hanging on the tree or post or column.  She found him still alive and nursed him back to health.  Tanzio da Varallo depicts the two saints and an angel (above) as they remove the arrows and tend to his wounds. It is in the late Mannerist style -- which preceded the Baroque -- using extreme light and shadow, foreshortening of the bodies and several vivid colors in the robes of the three figures.

After Sebastian's recovery, he stood in waiting for Diocletian and berated the emperor for his persecution of the Christians.  The affronted emperor then ordered Sebastian to be clubbed to death and had his dead body thrown into the Roman sewers. This second martyrdom, of course, is much less picturesque and has seldom been depicted by artists.

'Saint Sebastian' by Francois Coudray, bronze, 1712, National Gallery of Art

This final sculpture by Coudray (above) is in full-blown Baroque style with swooning arcs and a carefully arranged agony.

The legend of the young soldier martyred twice by the anti-Christian emperor has been the inspiration for many artists through the ages.  Much of this art is homoerotic in the eyes of those of us so inclined.  For others, it illustrates the steadfast belief of an early Christian martyr.  For whatever reason you chose to celebrate this myth, it's Saint Sebastian Day!  So celebrate the patron saint of archers and athletes.