Saint Sebastian
Italian (Venetian) School
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1500 - 1550
Materials
Oil on panel
Measurements
381 x 194 mm (15 x 7 ⅝ in)
Place of origin
Venice
Order this imageCollection
Ham House, Surrey
NT 1140141
Summary
Oil painting on panel, Saint Sebastian, Italian (Venetian) School, 1st half of 16th century. A full-length figure, facing, dressed in a loin-cloth, his weight on his right leg, leaning against tree, his right arm raised above his head with his fingers seeming lightly to touch a nimbus at a point directly over his head, his left arm around an upright branch of the tree. Landscape background with mountains. Saint Sebastian was tied to a tree and shot with arrows before being beaten to death. Here he stands without any expression of pain. On the reverse of the frame is inscribed in pen: St. Sebastian by Leonard Davinshaw £25.0.0.Pret. which means that the painting was once thought to be by Leonardo da Vinci and the high price in 1683 reflects this. Its companion, or pendant, depicts Saint Anthony.
Provenance
In c.1683, 1727 and c. 1820 inventories and thence by descent until acquired in 1948 by HM Government when Sir Lyonel, 4th Bt (1854 – 1952) and Sir Cecil Tollemache, 5th Bt (1886 – 1969) presented Ham House to the National Trust, and entrusted to the care of the Victoria & Albert Museum, until 1990, when returned to the care of the National Trust, and to which ownership was transferred in 2002
Credit line
Ham House, The Dysart Collection (purchased by HM Government in 1948 and transferred to the National Trust in 2002)
Marks and inscriptions
Verso: St. Sebastian by Leonard Davinshaw £25.0.0.Pret. - inscription on back of frame in pen Verso: Label inscribed in ink: 5; another label inscribed in ink: St Sebastiea; a 19th- century label inscribed: B / 2731; a modern label inscribed: 71.
Makers and roles
Italian (Venetian) School , artist previously catalogued as attributed to Leonardo da Vinci (Vinci 1452 - Amboise 1519), artist previously catalogued as attributed to Sebastiano del Piombo (Venice c.1485 - Rome 1547), artist