St Sebastian, before 1475
Pen and brown ink, wash in light brown, on paper prepared with red chalk
Sheet dimensions22,2 × 14,5 cm
About the workThe Italian artist Antonio Pollaiuolo depicts a naked young man who confidently presents his slender, muscular body. Only at second glance does the viewer realise that he is tied to a tree, and thus not only at the mercy of our gaze, but also of those who have condemned him to death. On the orders of the emperor, Sebastian, a Roman soldier, was executed by archers because he professed his Christian faith. Since the great epidemic of 1348, Sebastian has been venerated as a plague saint whose immaculate body represents an antithesis to those assailed by disease.
AccessionCollection of the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
Provenance[…]; seit 1932 Dauerleihgabe der Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
Inventory numberKA (FP) 7
