Antonio Bellucci, 1654 Pieve di Soligo – 1726... Lot n° 271

THE SACRED SEBASTIAN Oil on canvas. Doubled. In high oval. 116 x 99 cm. Unframed. According to legend, Sebastian was a captain of the Praetorian Guard at the Imperial Court under Diocletian. When the emperor learned of Sebastian's Christian faith, he had him tied to a tree and shot by archers. He was not dead, however, but was cared for by a widow named Irene. A close-up view shows the three-quarter-length portrait of the severely wounded man with his torso exposed, looking up at the sky with his head raised and his shining, slightly watery eyes. To his left, Irene, dressed in a red and white robe with yellow cloth, is trying to pull an arrow out of his arm and tend to it. Another arrow, already removed, lies on his white loincloth covered with blood splatters. In the background, an aide to Irene watching and helping tend to the wounds. Fine quality painting, emphasizing the physiognomy of the saint and the almost flawless, slightly muscular light body. Isolated rest, partly retouching and at the edges partly paint abrasion. Note: Few saints are depicted in art as often as the martyr Sebastian, the young man standing mostly naked against a tree trunk, pierced by arrows. Artists include Pietro Perugino (1445/46-1523), Il Veronese (1528-1588), and Anthonius van Dyck (1599-1641). (1290701) (18) Antonio Bellucci, 1654 Pieve di Soligo - 1726 ibid. attributed SAINT SEBASTIANOil on canvas. Relined. In vertical oval. 116 x 99 cm. Unframed.