Saint Sebastian in limestone, Burgundy circa 1500

Very beautiful statue in polychrome limestone representing the sagittation* of Saint Sebastian.
Our martyr is represented standing, in contrapposto*, the left arm and the right shoulder tied by a rope to a tree trunk.
Dressed in a very short perizonium, he sports an athletic body with powerful muscles.
The sculptor has chosen the moment when the first arrow has just reached the martyr.
Under the impact of the projectile, his body twists on itself while his head turns to not see the horrible reality.
The pain can be read on his grimacing face, and his gaze implores the sky to help him.

Beautiful state of preservation, great finesse of the sculpture.

Burgundy around 1500, closer to the St Sébastien of the Collegiate Notre-Dame of Semur-en-Auxois.

Height: 62cm; Width: 20cm


Our opinion :

If Saint Sebastian is represented old, bearded and dressed in a toga in the Middle Ages, it is quite the opposite from the end of the 14th century when he is depicted in the guise of an ephebe sporting a simple perizonium.
The iconography of our sculpture can be dated to the first years of the 16th century, it is probably the work of a Burgundian sculptor inspired by the works of the Renaissance that were created in neighboring Italy.
A work by Andrea Mantegna, kept in the Palazzo Ca d'Oro in Venice, is perhaps one of the sources of inspiration for our sculptor.
On his painting, his martyr, leaning in contrapposto and pierced with arrows, has the same gaze imploring the sky while under the effect of pain the clenching of his jaw reveals his teeth, which is rare in the iconography of the saint. .


*Sagittation is the kill by archery.

*The contrapposto (word adopted from Italian), more rarely spelled contraposto in French or hip, designates in the visual arts an attitude of the human body where one of the two legs bears the weight of the body, the other being left free and slightly bent.

*The limestone of our statue comes from the Tonnerre quarries.