Saint Sebastian
The Florentine painter Perugino made drawings to record figural types and poses that could be repeated throughout his finished paintings. He used the elegant, graceful figure seen here, with its soft athletic body and upwardly turned gaze, in at least two paintings of the 3rd-century martyr Saint Sebastian (the related paintings are now in the collection of the Galleria degli Uffizi, and the Louvre). Sebastian was shot with arrows after being exposed as a Christian convert; he was particularly revered during the Renaissance as a protector against illness such as the plague. Portrayal of the...
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- metalpoint
- Dimensions
- sheet: height 0.256 m, width 0.146 m
- Origin
- Italy, 15th century
- Department
- Drawings
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Dudley P. Allen Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
10 tags
Subject Matter
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Saints Metadata · 99%
The museum identifies the subject as Saint Sebastian, a Christian martyr.
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Human Figure Visual · 99%
A single standing human figure occupies most of the vertical sheet.
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Nude Visual · 99%
The figure is shown unclothed, with the torso, pelvis, legs, and feet fully visible.
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Figure Studies Both · 97%
The image concentrates on one carefully observed pose and anatomy, while the museum describes Perugino’s drawings as records of figural types and poses for reuse in paintings.
Styles and Movements
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Renaissance Art Metadata · 93%
The museum description places the subject within Renaissance devotion and identifies metalpoint as a typical drawing medium of the 1400s; the work is by a major Italian Renaissance painter.
Visual Qualities
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Contour Line Both · 96%
The figure is constructed primarily through fine linear contours, including darker reinforced lines around portions of the body; the museum specifically notes reinforced contour lines.
Medium and Techniques
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Drawing Metadata · 99%
The Cleveland Museum of Art classifies the work as a drawing; the medium is identified as metalpoint.
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Work on Paper Metadata · 96%
The object is described as a drawing on a sheet, measuring 25.6 by 14.6 cm.
Time Periods
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15th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The work is dated c. 1493 and its place of origin is given as Italy in the 15th century.
Geographic Regions
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Italian Art Metadata · 99%
The artist is identified as Perugino, Italian, and the place of origin is listed as Italy.
Source & rights
Perugino (Italian, c. 1450/55–1523). Saint Sebastian. Cleveland Museum of Art.