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St Sebastian

Relief
ca. 1470-1485 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a panel made in about 1470-1485 in Northern Italy (Mantua or Venice). The panel is a pierced relief in ivory on a horn ground in a frame of 'alla certosina' marquetry and represents St. Sebastian. The saint is standing, naked except for a loin cloth, bound by his hands to a tree. His beard is lightly indicated and his hair falls in three rows of curls over his shoulders. The present relief is broadly similar to Mantegna's graphic work, although none of the key features can be paralleled in his drawings. It is most likely that the design is attributable to an artist in Mantegna's circle.

This panel would probably have been produced for use in the home as a devotional image. This relief reflects a tradition of emphasising not only the importance of pleasure stimulated by religious artworks, but also the extraordinary beauty of holy figures themselves. Outward beauty was understood to represent inner purity, and this panel invites the viewer to contemplate St Sebastian's bodily perfection through the unblemished surface of the ivory.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSt Sebastian (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Carved and pierced elephant ivory on a horn ground of 'alla certosina' marquetry
Brief description
Relief, carved and pierced ivory and horn with marquetry, depicting Saint Sebastian, North Italy (Mantua or Venice), ca. 1470-1485
Physical description
Carved and pierced ivory relief on a horn base, which itself is affixed to a wooden base structure. The composition is made with 'alla certosina' marquetry depicting St Sebastian. The saint is standing in a rocky landscape, naked except for a loin cloth, bound by his hands to a tree, his beard is lightly indicated and his hair falls in three rows of curls over his shoulders. There were once four arrows, presumably piercing his body; they were fixed into small holes in the sides of his figure and were further held in place by being attached with pins set into holes in the background. One arrow pierced each leg, one his stomach, and the final arrow pierced the saint just below his left breastbone. The moulded frame consists of bone panels, with an intarsia panel running around outside with a cubic, trompe l'oeil motif; there are partial losses. Further intarsia ornament is applied around the sides of the frame.
Dimensions
  • Height: 30cm
  • Width: 17.7cm
  • Depth: 2.8cm
Object history
From the Webb Collection, bought by the Museum in 1865 for £84.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This is a panel made in about 1470-1485 in Northern Italy (Mantua or Venice). The panel is a pierced relief in ivory on a horn ground in a frame of 'alla certosina' marquetry and represents St. Sebastian. The saint is standing, naked except for a loin cloth, bound by his hands to a tree. His beard is lightly indicated and his hair falls in three rows of curls over his shoulders. The present relief is broadly similar to Mantegna's graphic work, although none of the key features can be paralleled in his drawings. It is most likely that the design is attributable to an artist in Mantegna's circle.

This panel would probably have been produced for use in the home as a devotional image. This relief reflects a tradition of emphasising not only the importance of pleasure stimulated by religious artworks, but also the extraordinary beauty of holy figures themselves. Outward beauty was understood to represent inner purity, and this panel invites the viewer to contemplate St Sebastian's bodily perfection through the unblemished surface of the ivory.
Bibliographic references
  • Corry, Maya, Howard, Deborah and Laven, Mary (ed.), Madonnas & Miracles: The Holy Home in Renaissance Italy, New York, Philip Wilson Publishers, 2017, pp. 72, cat. no. 72.
  • Williamson, Paul and Davies, Glyn, Medieval Ivory Carvings, 1200-1550, (in 2 parts), V&A Publishing, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2014 part I, pp. 534-535
  • Williamson, Paul and Davies, Glyn, Medieval Ivory Carvings, 1200-1550, (in 2 parts), V&A Publishing, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2014, part I, pp. 534-535, cat. no. 183
  • Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Carvings in Ivory. London: Published under the Authority of the Board of Education, 1927-1929, Part II, p. 102
  • Maskell, W., A Description of the Ivories Ancient and Medieval in the South Kensington Museum, London, 1872 pp. 49-50, ill
  • Inventory of Art Objects acquired in the Year 1865. Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol. 1. London : Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 32
Collection
Accession number
219:1, 2-1865

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Record createdNovember 17, 2004
Record URL
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