Saint Sebastian
Medium
Tempera and oil on wood
Dimensions
Overall, with arched top and engaged frame, 56 3/4 x 26 1/4 in. (144.1 x 66.7 cm); painted surface 53 3/4 x 23 in. (136.5 x 58.4 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gwynne Andrews, Rogers, and Harris Brisbane Dick Funds, 1948
Accession Number
48.78
Tags
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the European Paintings gallery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where Francesco Botticini's *Saint Sebastian* captivates with its Renaissance elegance. Painted by the Florentine artist Francesco di Giovanni (known as Botticini, c. 1446–1498), this devotional panel depicts the popular martyr saint, often shown pierced by arrows as a symbol of faith enduring persecution. Bound and serene amid attending angels, Sebastian embodies the Early Renaissance ideal of spiritual beauty intertwined with classical anatomy, reflecting Florence's artistic revival in the late 15th century. ed in t...