Saint Sebastian
Dublin Core
Title
Saint Sebastian
Description
Guido Reni uses one of his most iconic compositions in this work. Sebastian was a Roman soldier who suffered martyrdom for his Christian faith under the reign of Diocletian and Maximian at the end of the third century. He became a patron saint of the city of Rome, and his cult became popular throughout Europe since he was invoked in times of plague. Sebastian is usually depicted to be bound to a tree and shot with arrows in what turned out to be a first failed attempt at killing him[1].
Reni painted innumerable images - at least seven - of the saint which attempted to make visible his powerful faith - a triumphant faith which survived overwhelming odds. Four of these works are located in Auckland City Art Gallery, New Zealand; Musee du Louvre, Paris; Museo de Prado, Madrid; and Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico[2]. They show the saint with his hands tied behind his back with slight variations. When polyester film sheets with the outline of the torso of each work are overlaid, the outlines are almost identical. Although the canvas measurements differ and the number of tiny figures in the middle ground on the right-hand side vary in number from three to four, it is suggested that they have stemmed from the same cartoon[2].
In this work, Reni paints the flesh tones with great skill over a reddish-brown ground. He uses a dense criss-crossing of strokes of ivory white in the highlighted areas, such as the shoulders and chest, whereas he paints the half-shadows in thin and transparent glazes over the ground. Reni's distinctive silvery flesh tones intensify the saint's almost impenetrable aura of piety and devotion. His ecstatic pose is closely based on Michelangelo's Rebellious Slave, who like Sebastian, searches the heavens for strength and support in his time of trial.
Reni painted innumerable images - at least seven - of the saint which attempted to make visible his powerful faith - a triumphant faith which survived overwhelming odds. Four of these works are located in Auckland City Art Gallery, New Zealand; Musee du Louvre, Paris; Museo de Prado, Madrid; and Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico[2]. They show the saint with his hands tied behind his back with slight variations. When polyester film sheets with the outline of the torso of each work are overlaid, the outlines are almost identical. Although the canvas measurements differ and the number of tiny figures in the middle ground on the right-hand side vary in number from three to four, it is suggested that they have stemmed from the same cartoon[2].
In this work, Reni paints the flesh tones with great skill over a reddish-brown ground. He uses a dense criss-crossing of strokes of ivory white in the highlighted areas, such as the shoulders and chest, whereas he paints the half-shadows in thin and transparent glazes over the ground. Reni's distinctive silvery flesh tones intensify the saint's almost impenetrable aura of piety and devotion. His ecstatic pose is closely based on Michelangelo's Rebellious Slave, who like Sebastian, searches the heavens for strength and support in his time of trial.
Creator
Guido Reni
Source
Finaldi, G., Guido Reni 'Saint Sebastian' En:. Italian masterpieces from Spain's royal court, Museo del Prado, National Gallery of Victoria Thames & Hudson, 2014, p.102
Hillary, Sarah, and Mary Kisler. “Auckland’s St Sebastian by Guido Reni.” Journal of the Institute of Conservation 32, no. 2 (September 2009): 205–18. doi:10.1080/19455220903059818.
Spear, Richard E., The Divine Guido. Religion, Sex, Money and Art in the World, Yale University Press, New Haven - Londres, 1997, pp. 374.
Hillary, Sarah, and Mary Kisler. “Auckland’s St Sebastian by Guido Reni.” Journal of the Institute of Conservation 32, no. 2 (September 2009): 205–18. doi:10.1080/19455220903059818.
Spear, Richard E., The Divine Guido. Religion, Sex, Money and Art in the World, Yale University Press, New Haven - Londres, 1997, pp. 374.
Publisher
Museo Nacional del Prado, "Saint Sebastian," https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/saint-sebastian/d98d334e-a7f4-44eb-9d7c-7cfc689a6d5b (accessed November 28, 2021).
Date
1617 - 1619
Contributor
Jenny Chen
Format
170 × 133 cm
Type
Painting
Coverage
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain
Files
Collection
Citation
Guido Reni, “Saint Sebastian,” ARTHIST 256 - Italian Baroque Art - Fall 2021, accessed October 22, 2026, https://www.baroque.dahvc.org/fall-2021/items/show/302.