Saint Sebastian died a martyr’s death during Emperor Diocletian’s persecution of Christians in the 3rd Century CE. Around 1650-1655, Zurbarán painted this impressive portrait of the saint, who exudes calm grace and even sensuality in spite of his perforated body and ruffled hair. Even the luminous white chaste loin cloth reveals why Zurbarán was called the master of sculptural folds and fabric.

The work was possibly commissioned for the San Agustín Monastery in Seville, the most important convent of the Augustinian Order in Andalucía, or for a chapel which one of the many religious brotherhoods that were dedicated to this saint founded for him in or near Seville, in a parish church or another place of prayer. He was worshipped as a patron saint against the plague. Epidemics continued to sweep through the city and region around Seville even during Zurbaráns’s lifetime because the busy world port unfortunately attracted more than just prosperity.

Ruud Priem