Saint Sebastian
c. 1475/1485
Medium
bronze//Black laquer (abraded locally)
Dimensions
overall (diameter): 22.5 cm (8 7/8 in.) gross weight: 2416.9 gr (5.328 lb.) framed (diameter x depth): 34.29 × 6.35 cm (13 1/2 × 2 1/2 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Accession Number
1957.14.247
Art Historical Context
Francesco di Giorgio Martini, a versatile Italian Renaissance artist celebrated for his contributions to sculpture, architecture, and military engineering, crafted this bronze roundel of Saint Sebastian around 1475–1485. The compact work, just under nine inches in diameter, portrays the early Christian martyr in a format typical of devotional plaquettes meant for private contemplation or collection. Cast in bronze and finished with abraded black lacquer, the piece highlights the Renaissance revival of classical casting techniques, which allowed artists to achieve intricate relief details and ...
About the Artist
Francesco di Giorgio Martini
Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439–1501) was a quintessential Renaissance polymath from Siena, Italy, excelling as a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and theorist in the Sienese School tradition. Baptized on September 23, 1439, to a poultry dealer named Francesco Maurizio di Giorgio di Martino, his early life remains sparsely documented, with the first record of his artistic activity appear...